People's Deputy, Commander of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army (UVA) Dmytro Yarosh has announced the withdrawal of 5 and 8 separate battalions from the front line to begin training territorial defense units in all regions of Ukraine. He said this on October 14 during his speech in the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, - Dniprograd reports.
"On this day, I declare that the 5th and 8th separate battalions of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army are leaving the front line, but we are not leaving the war. While the war is on, we will participate in it. Today, the main task for the UVA is to form area defense units that should have a clear functionality", - Dmytro Yarosh noted.
He noted that the task of the units would be to prepare the resistance in every oblast. In addition, territorial units should unite the participants in hostilities, who are now divided by all interested people.
"We see how, after the demobilization, they begin to "divvy up" the participants in hostilities. We have a lot of ATO organizations, what leads to a dispersal of the potential which may actually be important for Ukraine at the present time. The UVA's task is to unite all those who participated in war in a single shock fist", - Yarosh added.
According to him, the UVA will not only prepare the area defense units, but also help the government institutions to prevent the Russian revenge in Ukraine.
Yarosh also noted that he does not believe in a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Donbass and sees only a forceful way to liberate the occupied territories.
The volunteer forces are not allowed to be on the front line, as their status is not regulated by law. In the summer, Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Forces Operation zone, Lieutenant-General Serhiy Nayev met with head of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, people's deputy Dmytro Yarosh. During the meeting, the issues of participation of motivated UVA fighters as part of all branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (including as part of a full-fledged unit), subject to a contract (including short-term), were discussed.