Separatist leaders in Ukraine announce unilateral cease-fire
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 13 September 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Separatist leaders in Ukraine announce unilateral cease-fire, 13 September 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58189d8910.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 13, 2016
Ukrainian separatist leaders Aleksandr Zakharchenko (left) and Igor Plotnitsky (file photo)
The leaders of the separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have announced a unilateral cease-fire starting at midnight on September 14.
In a recorded statement aired on Russian television on September 13, the separatist leader in Donetsk, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, said the separatists are "fully committed" to the Minsk peace agreements and see them as "the only solution."
Zakharchenko urged Kyiv to follow suit.
The separatist leader in the Luhansk region, Igor Plotnitskiy, made a similar announcement.
It is the first time that the Russia-backed separatists have come with the idea of a unilateral cease-fire.
But it was not immediately clear why the Russia-backed separatists made the announcement more than two weeks after the sides had already agreed to another temporary truce.
The announcement comes a few hours after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he expects the parliament to vote soon on constitutional amendments granting autonomy to eastern Ukraine.
Fighting between government and separatist forces has killed more than 9,500 people in Ukraine's east since April 2014.
Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
