Ukraine Armed Forces engaged in Donbas withdrawal preparations

Ukraine’s Armed Forces are currently engaged in
preparations for an eventual withdrawal along the entire separation line in
Donbas, the press service of the Joint Forces Operation said on Sept. 18,
citing Commander Lt. Gen. Volodymyr Kravchenko. Currently, preparations are
being made in the town of Stanytsia Luhanska to renew a ruined bridge,
Kravchenko said, while safe zones are also being planned for the town of Zolote
and Pokrovske in the Luhansk region. “We are ready for this for the sake of the
lives of our citizens, and ultimately, everything will depend on identical
actions from the opposing side,” he said. The withdrawal preparations were
authorized by President Zelensky, Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk and Lt.
Gen. Ruslan Khomchak, the chief of staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, he said.

Both the Russian-backed and Ukrainian armies in Donbas
are expected to withdraw their forces from the separation line in sections, not
at once, Zahorodniuk said in an interview with Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe
published on Sept. 18. He also stressed that Ukraine will engage in “a
withdrawal, not a retreat,” adding that it’s “absolutely critical” that
identical steps are taken by the Russian-backed forces simultaneously. Plans
for the entire withdrawal are currently being drafted, including technical,
logistical and security issues, he said.  

At the ongoing Trilateral Contact Group talks in Minsk,
the Ukrainian side has confirmed its readiness to withdraw its forces from
Zolote and Petrivske, said on Sept. 18 Ukrainian spokeswoman Darka Olifer, as
reported by the pravda.com.ua news site. However, the Russian side in the talks
has “blocked” attempts to determine a possible date for the withdrawal, she
said, without specifics. Additionally, significant progress has been made in
the mutual, simultaneous release of captives, she said, as well as providing
needed infrastructure and resources for the winter season in Donbas.