MOSCOW, September 7 (RIA Novosti) – Removal of illegal armed groups and military equipment from Ukraine is an integral part of the peace plan to end the five-month conflict in the eastern regions of the country, according to the protocol on the results if the Minsk talks, published on OSCE website in the early hours of Sunday.
“To remove illegal armed groups, military equipment as well as militants and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine,” one of the provisions of the 12-point protocol said.
During the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk on Friday, the representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed to a ceasefire between Kiev and independence supporters that started at 15:00 GMT the same day. The sides also agreed to the international monitoring of the truce’s implementation, the “all to all” prisoners of war exchange and humanitarian aid access to the combat zone.
Ukraine has been engulfed in violent internal conflict since mid-April, when Kiev began its military operation against independence supporters in the southeastern regions of the country. According to United Nations’ estimates, over 2,500 people have been killed and more than 6,000 wounded since the start of the offensive.
