Based on findings of an international field monitoring mission of DRA/VOSTOK SOS, this report informs on how the disengagement of armed forces in eastern Ukraine effects civilians and influences public services delivery and legal protection in the disengagement areas.
The report is based on first-hand data collected during field visits on government-controlled territory to the three settlements where the disengagement has already taken place (Stanytsia Luhanska, Katerynivka and Bohdanivka) as well as to potential sites of further disengagement located near the contact line (Krymske, Trokhizbenka and Lopaskyne in Luhansk Region, and Pisky, Verkhnyotoretske and Marinka in Donetsk Region).
Despite the hopes regarding a ceasefire, the disengagement of armed forces in fact increases security risks for civilians, in particular of active citizens, civil servants, and their families.
The Ukrainian government can neither guarantee full safety for residents nor ensure consistent work of police and local administrations in the demilitarized zones now. Although the safety of the civilian population is not assured, the central and regional Ukrainian authorities fail to engage with the local communities and do not communicate the details of the peace plan, related risks and strategies to minimize them.
Given a multitude of unsolved humanitarian problems at the contact line, the Ukrainian government will not be able to improve the life of civilians without active assistance of the international community.
The report in English
The report in Russian
