KIEV, September 22 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian authorities will create a defense line and border control around the areas with a special status in the east of the country, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
"Apart from the construction of the defense line along the administrative border, the special zone was chosen where border guards will work and where they are now preparing the appropriate engineering, technical and regulatory support for this," Ukrainian head of state said.
According to the president, the measure is a necessary step taken to protect the rest of the Ukrainian territory from the spread of the conflict.
Kiev authorities and independence supporters aligned positions on a ceasefire and a number of issues concerning the status of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Minsk Protocol) on September 5 in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, through the mediation of Russia and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Further to the Minsk Protocol, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved a law on special status of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on September 16. The law introduces self-administration, states that local elections are to take place in the regions on December 7, and guarantees the right to use Russian or any other language in Ukraine.
Early Saturday morning parties formulated a memorandum of nine provisions that will regulate the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Kiev and independence supporters in eastern Ukraine.
