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Poroshenko announces beginning of Joint Forces Operation in Donbass

Poroshenko said earlier this month that under the law on Donbass’ reintegration the current strategy of the military operation in the region

© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

KIEV, April 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko officially declared on Monday that the ongoing anti-terror operation in Donbass was completed and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) kicks off.

"Starting from today, April 30, 2018, a large-scale anti-terror operation in the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions is coming to an end," Poroshenko said. "Now we are starting a military operation led by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to ensure protection of territorial integrity."

Poroshenko said earlier this month that under the law on Donbass’ reintegration the current strategy of the military operation in the region, the so-called anti-terrorist operation, would be changed to the Joint Forces Operation on April 30.

The new game plan is expected to "bring drastic changes" to managing the military structure giving Ukraine’s army additional powers and control over units of the National Guard, the Security Services and the National Police. He appointed Sergei Nayev as the commander of the operation.

After the coup d’etat in February 2014, Ukraine’s new authorities failed to secure support of all citizens - Donbass opposed the policy towards severing ties with Russia.

The proposal to launch a campaign against citizens of eastern Ukraine was voiced by then-acting president Alexander Turchinov in April 7, 2014. The country’s forces were deployed to quash the protest in the region. The clashes between the army and Ukrainian nationalists with militias in Donbass by summer 2014 grew into full-scale combat actions with the use of military hardware and aviation.

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