You're reading: Zelensky: Troop withdrawal near Donbas checkpoint offers ‘fragile hope for peace’

The recent bilateral withdrawal of Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed militants from the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint in the Donbas warzone creates “a fragile hope for peace,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video posted on his Facebook page on July 1.

“Today, the mutual withdrawal of troops has been accomplished at Stanytsia Luhanska,” the Ukrainian leader said. “This was recorded and confirmed by the monitoring mission of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe). I congratulate you all. I believe this is the first step to a sustained ceasefire all along the contact line…”

On June 26, the Ukrainian military reported the start of troop withdrawal near the frontline town of Stanytsia Luhanska, some 670 kilometers southeast of Kyiv, an entry point to the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk.

In line with the Minsk peace accords, which envisage a gradual withdrawal of warring parties all along the 450-kilometer frontline, the operation was launched after 7 days of total ceasefire in the area.

According to Ukraine’s military, the Ukrainian troops withdrew nearly 800-900 meters back from their forward combat strongpoints near the Stanytsia Luhanska entry point. This increased the distance to the closest enemy lines from 300-400 meters to nearly 2 kilometers.

The operation was planned to last 3 days, with OSCE monitors observing the troop withdrawal on both sides of the frontline. All military-purpose installations abandoned by the warring parties are supposed to be gradually dismantled, according to the agreement.

Ukraine’s withdrawal, part of president Zelensky’s peace initiative in Donbas, immediately triggered a public uproar. Critics saw the pullback as a betrayal of the country’s national interests and a step toward surrendering Ukrainian territory to Kremlin proxies.

However, on June 26, the Ukrainian military reported that the Russian-backed militants had also started the agreed pullback of their forces. According to OSCE’s monitors on the ground, the militants completed the withdrawal by June 30.

In its report released that day, the OSCE missions described a calm and stable situation in the area.

However, according to Ukraine’s military, Ukrainian troops reserve the right to return to their combat lines should the Russian-backed fighters violate the mutual withdrawal regime.

A sustained ceasefire in the region is meant to ensure security for thousands of civilians crossing the frontline over a fragile pedestrian bridge at the Stanytsia Luhanska entry point. The checkpoint has gained a bad reputation due to the rickety wooden bridge, which is particularly difficult to cross for elderly residents of Donbas, who often choose to remain in the conflict zone.

According to former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, the current presidential envoy to the Minsk talks, the International Committee of the Red Cross is ready to allocate 60 million euros to repair the bridge within 1.5-3 months.

Should both sides of the conflict diligently adhere to the ceasefire, automobile traffic can also be restored at the Stanytsia Luhanska entry point, according to the Ukrainian side. This would significantly improve civilian life in the area.

Although the troop withdrawal is not a victory on its own, it is Ukraine’s “first little real success,” Zelensky said in his video.

“As you remember, I told you I’ve never wanted to and will not lie to you and promise anything (in vain). I don’t want to promise peace tomorrow, that we will stop the war tomorrow. But I believe a fragile hope for the beginning of the end of the war’s hot phase is emerging,” Zelensky said. “I only want to ask you all not to give into panic and provocations and let our warriors, our army, and our diplomats do their very powerful and very difficult job. Please, let’s remain calm anyway.”