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Kiev troops to withdraw weapons under 100mm caliber in Luhansk region by October 18

The speaker of the Donbas military operation, Ruslan Tkachuk, said earlier on Monday that Ukraine’s military in the Kiev-controlled area of the Luhansk region have started pulling out forces

© AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

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Donetsk republic says past night goes without shelling

KIEV, October 5. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces will complete withdrawing weapons with the caliber under 100mm in the Luhansk region by October 18 and in the Donetsk region by November 12, the speaker of Ukraine’s General Staff said on Monday.

"Ukrainian troops will complete the withdrawal of weapons with the caliber under 100mm in the Luhansk region by October 18. In the Donetsk region, the process will begin on October 18 and should be over by November 12," Vladislav Seleznev said.

The withdrawal will come on condition that the ceasefire regime is observed and the OSCE has access to monitoring the effort across the whole territory, Seleznev said.

The speaker of the Donbas military operation, Ruslan Tkachuk, said earlier on Monday that Ukraine’s military in the Kiev-controlled area of the Luhansk region have started pulling out forces.

"At 5.10 a.m. the Ukrainian Armed Forces units of the A sector received a signal on withdrawing armored vehicles and weaponry from the contact line to a distance of 15 kilometers. At 11.00 a.m. the withdrawal of T-64 and T-72 tanks, and in some areas of D-48 and D-44 antitank guns of 85mm caliber and 82-mm mortars began," Tkachuk said.

The lists of the weapons and the routes have been earlier approved by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) special monitoring mission, he said.

The effort to pull out weapons from the contact line is due to be completed within 14 days. The overall process that envisages moving artillery, tanks and mortars to certain distances will take 41 days.

The withdrawal will be carried out in line with the deadline under the Minsk peace agreements on condition that there is full control by the international monitors and the ceasefire regime is observed.

The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) began withdrawing tanks from the engagement line in Donbas on Saturday, the Luhansk Information Centre reported. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic will begin withdrawing tanks and weapons of caliber under 100mm after October 18 in case truce is observed, the defence ministry's representative Eduard Basurin said on Saturday.

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