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Better Late Than Never: Kiev Withdraws All Heavy Arms in Donbas - Minister

© REUTERS / Gleb Garanich Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride on a military vehicle near Artemivsk, eastern Ukraine February 14, 2015
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride on a military vehicle near Artemivsk, eastern Ukraine February 14, 2015 - Sputnik International
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Kiev claimed to have pulled back all heavy artillery from the line of contact in Donbas according to the Minsk agreements. However, Ukraine plans to reinforce its military to 250,000 servicemen through mobilization within the month.

DPR self-defense fighters in Donetsk region - Sputnik International
E Ukraine's Breakaway Republics Complete Heavy Weaponry Withdrawal
KIEV (Sputnik) – Kiev has withdrawn all of its heavy artillery from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine in accordance to the Minsk agreements, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said Wednesday.

Last month, Kiev and eastern Ukraine's independence supporters signed a ceasefire deal in the Belarusian capital Minsk. The agreement obliged the sides to pull out heavy artillery from the front lines by March 1st.

“All of the obligations set upon the armed forces have been completed, all of the equipment and weapons outlined in the Minsk agreements have been withdrawn,” Poltorak told journalists in Kiev.

Prime Minister of the self proclamed Peoples Republic of Donetsk Alexander Zakharchenko (R) and Prime Minister of the self proclaimed Peoples Republic of Lugansk Igor Plotnitsky speak during a press conference in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Febuary 2, 2015 - Sputnik International
Donetsk and Luhansk Denounce Kiev for Sabotaging Minsk Obligations
Poltorak also said that the military would be reinforced to 250,000 servicemen through mobilization within the month.

“I think that we’re talking a month,” Poltorak said in regard to Ukraine’s plans to meet the country’s demand of building troop numbers in 2015 through a number of mobilizations.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed the full withdrawal of heavy artillery by Kiev forces, and expressed readiness to administer humanitarian aid in the embattled region.

A woman walks by shop windows protected from possible shelling with wooden boards with the inscription Donetsk will be free in Donetsk, Ukraine, Sunday, March 1, 2015 - Sputnik International
Kiev's Decision to Declare Parts of Donbas 'Occupied' Rewrites Minsk Deal
Meanwhile, southeast Ukraine's self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk had reported the full pullout of heavy weapons in late February, in compliance with the Minsk accord deadline.

As a critical part of the agreement that includes a ceasefire deal, prisoner exchanges and granting special status to southeast Ukrainian regions, the sides have committed to pull back over 100-mm caliber weaponry to form security zones along the contact line.

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