Disengagement of forces near Petrivske will begin at noon on Nov 8 - Khomchak
He said this during the visit of Ukrainian government representatives and ambassadors of foreign states to Zolote in the area of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"Everyone, including the ambassadors, could make sure that there is currently no shelling in the disengagement area, that the troops that retreated to the specified distance are ready to respond to all situations. Today we also were in the area of Petrivske and we also saw that yesterday there were seven days of a truce, today all statements were made, verification is underway and from tomorrow we are ready to meet disengagement requirements. Accordingly, this will all be synchronous. At 12:00 tomorrow, there will be a statement from the leaders responsible for it about the beginning of those measures," Khomchak said.
When asked about who will control the disengagement areas, Khomchak said: "The OSCE controls those areas. They have their cameras installed, which control [the situation] 24 hours a day. They have their drones. In addition, those areas are monitored by the JCCC around the clock. In addition, cameras were additionally installed in all disengagement areas for proper response. In the areas you see the National Police is working everywhere, fully maintaining law and order."
At the same time, Khomchak could not answer who would control the implementation of agreements from Russian occupation troops. "I'm not responsible for the other side," Khomchak said.
According to him, the local population is demanding peace and a ceasefire.
Shots fired could be heard during the briefing of Ukrainian government representatives and foreign ambassadors. According to local residents, Russian-backed forces fired on Novoluhansk from the area of Horlivka. When asked how it is possible when everyone could hear the shelling against the background of the disengagement of troops, Khomchak said: "What are we talking about now? About a disengagement area or about Novoluhansk? No, we are not talking about the situation. We are talking about the disengagement area where we stay now."
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