By KYIV. Jan 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – During the nine years of the war, Russia has never adhered to ceasefire agreements, only the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine will mean a real ceasefire, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said.
In her Telegram channel, the Deputy Minister said that during the fighting during the ATO period, there were 11 attempts to establish a ceasefire (an agreement within the Trilateral Contact Group).
"All of them were thwarted by the deliberate actions of the enemy. For example, during the so-called ‘comprehensive spring truce’ of 2018, in 22 days of proclaimed ‘ceasefire,’ the enemy carried out at least 153 attacks, during which six Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 12 were injured," she said.
Maliar also said during the Joint Forces Operation, Ukraine agreed on a bilateral ceasefire several times, but their results were similar to the previous ones.
According to the Defense Ministry, only in 2019, the combat losses of the Ukrainian army in Donbas amounted to 97 dead, and in 2020, before the start of the last, ‘July truce’ another 32 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine died and 220 were wounded.
"On July 27, 2020, another ‘full and comprehensive ceasefire’ officially began. However, the enemy held him for only half an hour. From July 27, 2020 to July 27, 2021, more than 2,000 enemy attacks were recorded. Therefore, only the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine will mean a real ceasefire and an end to aggression," she said.
