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Ukraine and DPR start disengagement process in Petrovskoye

Once the disengagement is completed, the sides should notify the OSCE, whose observers will put that on record

© Valentine Sprinchak/TASS

DONETSK, November 9. /TASS/. Ukraine and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have started the disengagement of forces along the line of contact in the Petrovskoye area.

"The DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) welcomes the start of disengagement of equipment and forces beyond the disengagement section reported by the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission," the JCCC said.

Once the disengagement is completed, the sides should notify the OSCE, whose observers will put that on record. Later a set of actions will be started in the region on de-mining and fortification dismantling.

The village of Petrovskoye is located on the line of contact about 40 km south of Donetsk. Completion of disengagement in that area finalizes the process of disengagement of forces and facilities in three pilot security zones on the contact line, namely near Petrovskoye (in the Donetsk People’s Republic, or DPR), Zolotoye and Stanitsa Luganskaya (both in the Lugansk People’s Republic, or LPR). A framework agreement on disengagement of forces in Donbass was signed by Ukraine, Russia, the OSCE and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics in September 2016.

Disengagement of forces along the line of contact in Donbass is a condition for holding the Normandy Four summit between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France where further steps to resolve the conflict in the region are planned to be discussed.

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