Under the Joint Forces Operation (JFO), decentralisation in the Donetsk Oblast will continue, but there will be some restrictions on security issues. The JFO, which replaced ATO, has been launched on the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts since 1 May. During the briefing in Kramatorsk, Serhiy Nayev, head of the OUS, as well as Pavlo Zhebrivskyi and Yuriy Harbuz, heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk Сivilian-Military Administrations, told about the innovations.

The main objective of the JFO is to restore territorial integrity – this is the main idea voiced during the briefing. "The new format of the operation does not foresee the aggravation and intensification of military actions, but as there has long existed a saying "if you want peace, prepare for war", we must continue the formation of a strong, combat-capable army, in such a way as to restrain even the intentions of the Russian aggressor to move through the Ukrainian territory. The support from civilian-military administrations will be maximal in the formation of a new army, including financial one," said Pavlo Zhebrivskyi.

The novelties will concern the following points: there will be a revised location of block posts to facilitate the movement of citizens within the Donetsk Oblast. The whole territory of the oblast has been divided into security zones with the definition of the "red", "yellow" and "green" regimes – based on these regimes, certain restrictions are foreseen. However, it was assured during the briefing that the residents of two oblasts under the control of the Ukrainian authorities will not experience changes in their everyday lives.

According to the Donetsk Local Government Development Centre, established with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, after the briefing, Pavlo Zhebrivskyi answered the questions on the continuation of the reform of local self-government, taking into account the announcement of the Joint Forces Operation.

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