Ukrainian withdrawals in Donbas will enable quick return, minister says

Ukrainian soldiers will withdraw to distances that
will enable returning to their positions in the event of violations, Defense
Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk told reporters on Oct. 9, as reported by the
pravda.com.ua news site. The coordinates of the withdrawal points were
indicated in the Minsk Accords in 2014. “All the preconditions have been set.
The corresponding plan has been taking into account this very situation,”
Zaharodniuk said. This distance has been identified by Ukrainian commanders as
within one kilometer from the separation line.

If the Luhansk towns of Zolote and Petrivske are
disarmed, the Donbas demilitarized zone could expand to include other towns and
villages currently under military control on both sides of the conflict line,
deputy commander of the Joint Forces Operation Bohdan Bondar told the RFE/RL
news agency on Oct. 8. “So far, we are planning to conclude three territories,
and later pursue possibly other options if they are proposed by the Ukrainian
side or the opposing side. So far discussions on other territories aren’t
occurring,” Bondar said. Ukrainian soldiers are ready to withdraw from Zolote
and Petrivske, but have been drawing provocative fire from the Russian-backed
forces, Bondar said. “That speaks to Russian-occupational forces not wanting
this withdrawal,” he said.

Volunteer paramilitaries will take the positions of
Ukrainian Armed Forces in the event of a withdrawal of forces, said on Oct. 8 Andriy
Herhert, the deputy commander of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. “As the
commander in chief, of course, the president can issue an order on removal, on
a demilitarized zone. But we are announcing that we aren’t leaving the war.
Where he will remove armies, we will enter and deploy thousands,” he told a
television show on the Crimean Tatar ATR network.

Several leading veterans, nationalist and paramilitary
organizations signed a memorandum on Oct. 8 to launch a Donetsk regional
headquarters of the “Pro-Russian Revanche Resistance,” the press service of the
National Corps nationalist party announced. Party Head Andriy Biletskiy called
for a mobilization of his party’s paramilitary wing, the Azov battalion, at the
town of Zolote. “When several thousand people arrive, then (President) Zelensky
won’t dare to withdraw armies from Zolote,” Biletskiy said in a video
statement. Also signing were the European Solidarity party led by former
President Poroshenko and the Freedom nationalist party.