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Ukraine begins artillery withdrawal, recognizing truce is holding

MildSteel

MildSteel

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Who knows, maybe this one will work for a while at least.

Ukrainian troops towed artillery away from the front line in the east on Thursday, a move that amounted to recognizing that a ceasefire meant to take effect on Feb. 15 was holding at last.

The military showed reporters seven or eight guns being towed away from the front at the village of Paraskoviyvka north of the government stronghold of Artemivsk. Earlier, Reuters journalists saw a larger convoy of 30-40 vehicles also towing guns away from the front on a highway.

The move was Kiev's most direct step to acknowledge that the ceasefire was finally holding, a week after suffering one of the worst defeats of the war at the hands of rebels who initially ignored the ceasefire to launch a major advance.

The pro-Russian rebels, who committed to the truce after their successful offensive, have been pulling back heavy weapons for two days, but Kiev had until now held back from implementing the withdrawal, arguing that fighting had not yet ceased.

However, the army reported no combat fatalities at the front for a second straight day on Thursday, the first time no troops have been killed since long before the French- and German-brokered truce was meant to take effect.

The withdrawal of artillery is "point two" of the peace agreement reached in the Belarus capital Minsk, so beginning it amounts to an acknowledgement that "point one" - the ceasefire itself - is being observed.
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Ukraine begins artillery withdrawal, recognizing truce is holding | Reuters
 
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According to the international ceasefire monitors (OSCE), all parties have agreed to a definite "Line of Contact" (i.e. demarcation line)...

February 24, 2015
At the temporary Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) headquarters re-located to government-controlled Soledar (77km north of Donetsk), those present, including officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian Federation Armed Forces and members of the “DPR” and “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”) gave the SMM the latest map of the region with a definite line of contact agreed upon by all.

Ukraine - OSCE Special Monitoring Mission
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I'm fairly certain that the city of Mariupol remains on the government side of the LoC.
 
Simpleχity;1064363530 said:
According to the international ceasefire monitors (OSCE), all parties have agreed to a definite "Line of Contact" (i.e. demarcation line)...



I'm fairly certain that the city of Mariupol remains on the government side of the LoC.
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I think the ceasefire will hold for a while. But if the rebels do launch another assault, Mariupol would be the logical target.
 
MildSteel said:
I don't think Kharkiv will be the target of the next rebel assault, if there is one. IF there is one, it would more likely be Mariupol.
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True Mariupol is gone sooner rather than later. The establishment of a coastal land corridor linking the East with the Crimea seems to be the objective. The groundwork for Kharkiv though is already under way
 
flogger said:
True Mariupol is gone sooner rather than later. The establishment of a coastal land corridor linking the East with the Crimea seems to be the objective. The groundwork for Kharkiv though is already under way
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If a satisfactory solution is not found, that is probably so.
 
Montecresto said:
Obviously a Russian ground avenue to Crimea is important.
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Indeed, and if the situation is not resolved through negotiations, that will be the likely result through force. Such bloodshed would be unfortunate an unnecessary. Therefore Poroshenko should realize the reality of the situation, and do the needful.
 
flogger said:
And what if the majority Ukrainian populations already living there don't want that ?
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If that is so, that is a tough one. I didn't want my tax money spent invading Iraq, but I didn't have a choice. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
 
MildSteel said:
If that is so, that is a tough one. I didn't want my tax money spent invading Iraq, but I didn't have a choice. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
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Yep. There's been plenty of folk that didn't want the US military moving in and setting up shop. Did we ever give a ****?
 
Montecresto said:
Yep. There's been plenty of folk that didn't want the US military moving in and setting up shop. Did we ever give a ****?
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Exactly. That was indeed f***** up.
 
Montecresto said:
Yep. There's been plenty of folk that didn't want the US military moving in and setting up shop. Did we ever give a ****?
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For some peculiar reason, we don't get to vote on these matters of life and death. The Citizen's United fraternity pulls the Congressional Chain, don't ya' know?
 
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