Commander joint forces (EP) in the Donbass region Lieutenant-General Sergei New said that the Ukrainian troops managed to take control of a 24 sq km area in the South-East of the country. According to him, Mat was allegedly able to improve the tactical position without violation of the Minsk agreements. However, experts note that it is a “grey zone” — a buffer area on the separation line between the Ukrainian military and militias DND and LNR. Digging deeper into this area, Kiev directly violates Minsk agreement. In addition, the reduction of the distance between the positions of the parties leads only to the escalation of the conflict, analysts say.

  • The Ukrainian military in the Donbass
  • AFP
  • © Oleksandr Ratushniak

Over the past year, the Ukrainian military has taken control of about 24 sq km area in the South-East of the country, including a number of settlements in Donetsk and Lugansk regions. This was reported by the commander of the so-called operation United forces (OOS), Lieutenant-General Sergei New. His presentation was timed to the first anniversary of the termination of the “antiterrorist operation” (ATO) in the Donbass, on change which came DUS.

“Throughout the year, through carefully planned activities and take decisive action without violating the Minsk agreements, the combined forces managed to improve the tactical situation in some areas at a distance of from two to five kilometers. The result was the return of the territory with an area of about 24 sq km including three settlements (the farm is Free, towns Pivdenne and Noises),” said New at a special briefing.

We are talking about settlements located in the “gray area” on the separation line forces in the Donbass, installed the Second Minsk agreement. Towns Pivdenne and Noise are within a few kilometers North-West of Gorlovka (Donetsk region) and farm Free — North-West of Alchevsk (Luhansk oblast).

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Kiev has repeatedly reported about taking control of your territories as a “gray zone”, which was established in the framework of the Minsk process as a buffer area between the positions of the militia and the Ukrainian armed forces. And as to take in the “grey zone” settlements are prohibited, the Ukrainian authorities actually recognize the violation of the agreements.

Commenting on the recent statement of the commander of the FOS in the management of the militia DND denied the information voiced, calling it an attempt to strengthen the image of the Ukrainian army, and said that the front line has not changed.

“Such statements — not that other, as yet another PR campaign Naeva in an attempt to raise its own image, this time dedicated to the anniversary of the change of the format of the ATO in EP. All such statements the Ukrainian side are at least doubts and untrue. The people’s militia units confidently hold their positions”, — quotes RIA Novosti the representative of law enforcement bodies of the DPR.

In turn, the experts again stressed that attempts of the Ukrainian side to move into the “gray zone” and change the contours of the demarcation line directly violate the Minsk agreement.

As noted in an interview with RT, the Ukrainian scientist and economist Alexander Dudchak, Kyiv enjoys the fact that in the republics of Donbass trying at least to respond to such provocations, and captures the territory, reducing the distance between the opposing sides.

“The typical logic of the current Kiev leadership headed by Poroshenko, when they occupy a “grey area” and say that return control of the Ukraine territory. In actual fact this is a direct violation of the Minsk agreements, because they change the contours of the demarcation line,” said Dudchak.

  • Fighters of the Donetsk people’s Republic near the boundary line
  • Reuters
  • © Alexander Ermochenko

“Yet brag about APU nothing”

It is also worth noting that during his speech the commander of the EP Sergei New said that among the main achievements of the government forces over the past year, you can enable “forced the enemy to the decrease in the intensity of the fire.” In addition, according to him, the Kyiv authorities are in the Donbass “civil-humanitarian activities and implement complex projects to rebuild infrastructure and create conditions for further peaceful life of the population of the region.”

However, as noted by the scientific Director of the Centre for ethnic and international studies, candidate of historical Sciences Anton Bredikhin, the actions of the Kiev authorities in the last five years were aimed at achieving the opposite purposes — the deliberate destruction of the infrastructure of the republics of Donbass, starting with the industrial enterprises, mines to socially important objects.

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Moreover, the decrease in the intensity of hostilities in the South-East of Ukraine is clearly not connected with the transfer of leadership of military operations to the armed forces, says a member of the Council for interethnic relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko. In conversation with RT, he recalled that fighters of DNR and LNR expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership of their republics, which did not allow them to fully respond to the attacks, provocations, activity diversionno-prospecting groups and other activities of the APU.

“New wishful thinking. In reality, the decrease in the intensity of hostilities in the Donbas is connected with the Minsk agreements… It’s more down to the leadership of the DNI and LC. In fact, New said that Ukraine does not comply with the Minsk agreement, DPR and LPR will obey,” — said the expert.

RT interlocutor also questioned the reality of the successes that declare Ukrainian military officials amid growing non-combat losses and other problems of the APU.

“The army is trampled down on one place, she has high non-combat losses, it suffers branding, reputation loss… On the reports of the chief military Prosecutor of Ukraine Anatoly Matios, non-combat losses during the ATO, safety and environmental protection amounted to almost a brigade. Yet to brag about APU nothing,” — said Bezpalko.

  • The position of the Ukrainian military in the Donbass
  • AFP
  • © Sergey Polezhaka

“Combat operations are conducted only because of the will of Kiev”

Commenting on the report of the commander of OOS, political scientist Alexander Dudchak also expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian authorities should focus on establishing contacts with representatives of the breakaway republics of Donbass, however, Kiev supports the conflict in the East of the country.

“I wish they had worked to negotiate with representatives of Donbass, but is (at this power) residents of Donbass called scum, treat them not as citizens of Ukraine. For five years there is a war, and no changes are planned. Combat operations are conducted only because of the will of Kiev”, — said Dudchak.

“There is little time left before the inauguration of the new President. I’d still like to hope that the political will of Kiev for a peaceful resolution of this problem”, — said the expert.

We will add that Advisor to the Ukrainian President-elect Vladimir Zelensky on security and defense Ivan Apartin in an interview with “Apostrophe” has ruled out the return of the republics of Donbass in the Ukraine by military means.

“Today, the Donbas is a term for five years… But currently, I see no possibility to return our territories by military means,” he said.

Apartin also expressed the view that partial Amnesty can be applied to the participants of the conflict in the South-East of Ukraine, who “took not quite the right solution,” however, this measure will not affect those who “killed people”, said the Advisor.