Ukrainian president signs Donbass reintegration law

Ukrainian president signs Donbass reintegration law
# 20 February 2018 18:01 (UTC +04:00)

Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has signed into law the bill "On the special aspects of state policy aimed at ensuring Ukraine’s state sovereignty over the temporarily occupied areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions" (on Donbass reintegration), APA reports quoting TASS.

"This law substantially strengthens the legal basis for using the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other law enforcement agencies for defending our state. At the same time, it establishes rules for the protection of civilians’ rights and freedoms," Poroshenko said signing the document. The procedure was broadcast live by Ukrainian TV channels.The law enters into force on the day of its publication.

Poroshenko has ordered senior military commanders to come up with ways to change the framework of the Donbass military operation as soon as possible, as he himself said at a meeting of the war cabinet, following his signing of the Donbass reintegration law.

"I order you to prepare proposals concerning ways to change the framework," Poroshenko said addressing Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko.

The Ukrainian president also ordered to nominate a commander for joint armed forces, as well as to present "a strategic intent" concerning the Ukrainian armed forces’ further actions in Donbass. According to Poroshenko, all the "preparations" must be completed before April 1.

The law, initiated by President Poroshenko, refers to the specified eastern regions as "temporarily occupied territories" and defines Russia’s actions as "aggression against Ukraine." The bill provides for setting up the joint operation headquarters of the Ukrainian armed forces to control all military units and military-civil administrations in the conflict zone and gives the president the right to use the armed forces inside the country without the parliament’s consent.

#
#

THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED