Several hundred protesters gathered on July 27 next to the President’s Office building in Kyiv’s government quarter to voice their opposition towards the provisions of yet another ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed militants in the Donbas declared starting on that day.
Some of the new deal’s provisions agreed earlier by the Minsk negotiation group caused a stir in Ukraine, including the ban on all offensive and reconnaissance operations and disciplinary action against those violating the armistice.
Some political players, including ex-President Petro Poroshenko who is now the leader of the 27-seat parliament faction European Solidarity, accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of surrendering Ukraine’s interests in war and trying to appease the Kremlin at any price. Poroshenko called on his supporters to rally near the President’s Office building, although he personally did not show up at the meeting.
Nonetheless, the Ukrainian military command liable for the 420-kilometer front line reassures that Ukrainian troops are to continue to hold defense and respond relentlessly against any armed provocations by Russian-backed militants.
Upon that, the ceasefire entering force at midnight on July 27 failed within less than an hour, with militants still committing new attacks against Ukrainian forces.
Since the beginning of the war in 2014, there have been over 20 failed attempts to halt hostilities in the Donbas, which continues to suffer from Russian-supported occupation.
