Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels began a “comprehensive and comprehensive” ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on Monday, devastated by the war, after a six-year conflict that has resulted in the deaths of more than 14,000 soldiers, separatists and civilians.
The new ceasefire agreement was reached last Wednesday by members of the Tripartite Contact Group which includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
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Rebel officials said Sunday that they instructed their troops about the ceasefire and issued a decree prohibiting the use of weapons. Ukraine’s army also said its forces “have started preparations” for the ceasefire.
“We are talking about the possibility of a real ceasefire on both sides,” the head of Ukraine’s joint forces operation Volodymyr Kravchenko said in a televised conference, according to Reuters. “The situation is stable and controlled.”
Ukrainian and rebel forces in war-torn eastern Ukraine have begun preparing for a “comprehensive and comprehensive” ceasefire scheduled to begin at midnight Monday. Rebel officials said Sunday that they have instructed their troops on the ceasefire and issued a decree prohibiting the use of weapons, while the Ukrainian president said that if confirmed, “it will pave the way to implement other clauses” of the Minsk peace agreement. (AP Photo / Vitali Komar, FILE)
The military conflict between Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists erupted in 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for the separatists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the ceasefire agreement in a phone call on Sunday and stressed the importance of implementing the agreements reached at the December summit in Paris.
If the new agreement is confirmed, “it would pave the way for implementing other clauses” of the 2015 Minsk peace agreement, Zelensky’s office said on Sunday, calling the ceasefire a “breakthrough.”
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Zelensky also stressed the need for “other practical steps” aimed at freeing Ukrainians who are imprisoned by rebels in eastern Ukraine, in the annexed region of Crimea and in Russia, according to the statement.
The 2015 Minsk peace plan envisioned that Ukraine can regain control of its border with Russia in separatist-controlled regions only after they are granted extensive self-government and hold local elections.
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The Minsk agreement helped reduce the scope of hostilities, but Ukrainian forces and rebels continued to clash sporadically.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
