Militia Of Donetsk People's Republic Finishes Troop Pullout Near Petrivske - Spokesman

Militia of Donetsk People's Republic Finishes Troop Pullout Near Petrivske - Spokesman

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) fully withdrew its forces from the area near the village of Petrivske on Saturday as part of troop disengagement in the conflict-hit region, a DPR spokesman from the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination on ceasefire told reporters

DONETSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2019) The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) fully withdrew its forces from the area near the village of Petrivske on Saturday as part of troop disengagement in the conflict-hit region, a DPR spokesman from the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination on ceasefire told reporters.

Earlier in the day, both DPR militia and Ukrainian security forces launched signal flares, indicating their readiness to proceed with the disengagement. A Sputnik correspondent then reported from the scene that the militia had started the withdrawal, with the process monitored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

"The pullout of personnel of the people's militia of the DPR was fully completed today at 3:00 p.m. [13:00 GMT]," the spokesman said.

The Ukrainian armed forces, meanwhile, need two more days to address "violations" in implementing the troop withdrawal on their part, he added.

"According to OSCE mission observers, the Ukrainian side has also announced the completion of practical activities to date. However, they will need two more days to eliminate all violations," the DPR spokesman said.

On October 1, representatives of the Contact Group on Ukraine met in the Belarusian capital of Minsk and signed an agreement on a Donbas peace plan called "the Steinmeier formula." They also agreed to resume the separation of forces near Zolote and Petrivske.

On November 1, both the Ukrainian military and the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Luhansk announced that they had completed the disengagement of troops and military hardware near Zolote.