Ukraine and Rebels Begin Donbas Village Withdrawal
Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels began their withdrawal from the Donbas village of Petrivske. (Wikimedia Commons)
Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed rebels began pulling back from a war-devastated village in the disputed Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine on November 9.
The troop withdrawals could pave the way, as a confidence building measure, for a future four-way summit between Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany that could potentially restore peace and stability to the war-torn area.
Following Moscow’s illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, relations between Ukraine and Russia drastically collapsed. Since the beginning of March 2014, more than 13,000 people have died and more than 1.4 million Ukrainian civilians have been displaced due to the unrest caused by armed conflicts between the Moscow-backed rebels and the Ukrainian fighters in the Donbas region.
Since the start of the conflict, the two sides have initiated more than 20 ceasefires, each intended to remain in effect indefinitely. However, none have been successful in stopping the violence and restoring stability to the disputed region. Among the ceasefires, the most successful attempt occurred in 2016 and lasted for more than six consecutive weeks. On October 1, Ukraine, Russia, and the separatist governments in the Donbas finally agreed to a roadmap for a possible end to the conflict.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected as the 6th president of Ukraine in April, has made ending the strife in Donbas his political priority. However, Zelensky’s relatively soft approach towards the issue has been criticized by Ukranian civilians who fear making concessions will only embolden Putin and the Russian government.
In an effort towards reconciliation, Zelensky told the media that “society needs to be aware and needs to accept the terms of the reintegration. The lack of a common vision will paralyze our movement.”
Moscow, on the other hand, expressed concerns over Kiev’s ability to abide by its commitment to the four-way summit.
“I hope that we will not see any new attempts by Kiev to disrupt the implementation of the agreements on the withdrawal of forces… I hope that the process of disengagement in Petrivske will be successfully completed in the near future,” said Borys Gryzlov, Russia’s envoy to a working group on the conflict.
Both sides started to retreat from the frontlines in Petrivske at midday on Saturday, and the full pullback is expected to be finished in three days, according to Ukraine military spokesman Andrei Andreev and the rebel news agency DAN. However, this troop withdrawal is only the beginning: the final solution remains in question as Ukrainians debate the future political status of the rebel-held territories.