Poroshenko legally halts ATO in Ukraine. What next?

The format of ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation) will be changed to Joint Force Operation. President Poroshenko public statement says.

“Now the ATO is declared legally finished. Thanks to Verkhovna Rada decision, that supported the majority of the presidential law “On the details of state policy on ensuring the state sovereignty of Ukraine over the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, “said Mr. Poroshenko.

President Poroshenko also appointed Lieutenant-General Sergey Nayev the new commander of the Joint Force Operation. The new Commander is going to take under his control all troops currently deployed in the ATO zone.

New Commander.

Sergey Nayev was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on March 7, 2018. Before that he served as a Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2016 he was commander of the forces of the operational command “East”. He began his military career as a platoon commander.

“I saw him at the front lines, in ATO, I am convinced that his level of training and experience on the various levels of military management will allow him to conduct high-quality and responsible leadership of the forces and means of the Armed Forces and other military formations in the repression and deterrence of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” – said Petro Poroshenko after signing the appointment order.

What will change in ATO?

On January 18, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the reintegration of the Donbas. The introduction of the bill was the actual transformation of the ATO into “measures to ensure national security and defense, rebuff and deter armed aggression of the Russian Federation.” For this operation in the Donbass, all troops, weapons, and all available forces are put under control of the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces. This will apply to the National Guard, Army, SBU, Intelligence Services, Border Guard Service, and State Guard.

“We change the structure of the military operation, its organization, management, and responsibilities in the ATO zone. From now on, the full control of the processes passes from the SBU, with its anti-terrorist department, to the Armed Forces,” told the head of “Ukrainian Military Center” Taras Chmut to BBC News Ukraine.

According to the expert, such innovating changes would have a positive impact on the image of Ukraine, since the legal points of the use of the army in the East of Ukraine will finally be addressed.

Prior to this, the counter-terrorist operation was conducted under the leadership of the SBU.

Security zones near the line of demarcation

The final version of the law on the reintegration of Donbas also contains provisions on the so-called “security zones” in government-controlled areas alongside the delimitation line.

At present, the zone of the ATO includes the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and therefore, after ATO is done with, the regions under the control of Kyiv are granted special treatment. In those areas, the security forces will have too much power. The boundaries of these security zones will be determined by the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff. This will apply to the use of weapons, checking documents, inspecting personal belongings, vehicles, and traffic restrictions.

In addition, for the national security considerations, the law enforcement officers will be allowed to enter the premises of citizens and organizations, and, with the consent of citizens, to use their vehicles and communication facilities.

It was precisely these provisions that were put forward by many human rights groups. In particular, they are afraid that innovations regarding security zones and new restrictions can substantially narrow the rights of Ukrainians living near the line of separation.

EMPR

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Source: bbc.com