Head of the Joint Forces Operation HQ press center Andriy Ageyev has said the practical phase of the disengagement of troops and weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the occupying forces kicked off near the village of Petrivske in Donbas on November 9.
"The practical phase of the disengagement of troops and weapons at site No. 3 has begun," he said.
"At 12:01 Kyiv time, we launched a white flare into the sky, which meant that we were ready for the practical phase of the start of the disengagement of forces and weapons," he said.
According to Ageyev, representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, who constantly monitor the situation both physically and with the help of a quadrocopter, have confirmed that the enemy acted synchronously and also launched a white flare into the sky.
"The information that the opposite side had really launched the flare was confirmed by our observation post...," he added.
It is noted the disengagement of forces and weapons will take place within three days. In particular, the Ukrainian troops will withdraw 1 km and occupy new, pre-equipped positions.
The disengagement process is being verified by representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and Ukrainian members of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) in Donbas.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the disengagement attempt near Petrivske, scheduled for November 4, was hindered over the breach of a seven-day ceasefire by the Russian occupying forces.
The Ukrainian side announced the new date, November 8. In turn, the Russian-controlled "DPR" forces said they were ready to disengage in the area on November 9.
