OSCE begins verification of tanks withdrawal by Kiev

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) special monitoring mission has started the verification of tanks withdrawal by the Ukrainian side in the Lugansk republic, the speaker of the military operation headquarters said Wednesday.

“Th ceasefire on the frontline has allowed completing the tanks withdrawal in the Luhansk region as part of the first stage. Today, after the Ukrainian side’s statement on relocation of certain amount of equipment the OSCE representatives will carry out the verification within several days,” Anatoly Stelmah said.

The international monitors will check the compliance of the vehicles plates and the relocation sites of tanks to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the contact line. The works on restoring the war-torn region’s infrastructure are underway.

The representative of the military operation in the Lugansk republic, Ruslan Tkachuk, said later the second stage would start, namely the withdrawal of D-48 and D-44 antitank guns with 85mm caliber and 82mm mortars.

Under the agreement, the parties will first withdraw tanks, then artillery weapons with the caliber under 100mm and mortars to the distance of 15 kilometers from the each side of the contact line.

The LPR began withdrawing tanks from the contact line on Saturday. The neighboring Donetsk republic said it would start withdrawing weapons after October 18 on condition that ceasefire is observed.
The overall withdrawal effort is expected to take 41 days.