As we reported below, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has confirmed the reports that Ukrainian forces have begun the withdrawal from Debaltsevo. His full statement, available here, is interesting in its own right. Poroshenko is under considerable domestic pressure since many Ukrainians never anticipated that the ceasefire would work, and some feel that the troops that have been trapped in Debaltsevo, like the troops who were trapped in Donetsk Airport, have been fighting a losing battle without proper military support.

Poroshenko’s statement:

I can inform now that this morning the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the National Guard completed the operation on the planned and organized withdrawal of a part of units from Debaltseve. We can say that 80% of troops have been already withdrawn. We are waiting for two more columns. Warriors of the 128th brigade, parts of units of the 30th brigade, the rest of the 25th and the 40th battalions, Special Forces, the National Guard and the police have already left the area.

Coincidentally, yesterday we ran a memoir of one of the soldiers from the Kiev Rus 25 Battalion, mentioned above. This past summer that unit had been positioned on the Chernihiv region, between Kiev and the Russian border to the north. The soldiers were told then that the Russian military was planning on punching through the northern border near where Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine all meet. The move was unexpected and the Kiev Rus Battalion knew it could not win that fight. The nervous soldiers were lucky then – they said that the battle was avoided because of a diplomatic solution, but then they were sent to Debaltsevo.

Read it here: Holding the Line Against the Russian Invasion: A Ukrainian Volunteer’s Memoir.

We can assert that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have fulfilled their tasks completely. This position and success were urgently necessary for us in the course of the Minsk negotiations and after them. We managed to show to the whole world the true face of bandits-separatists backed by Russia, which acted as guarantor and direct participant of the Minsk negotiations.

We were asserting and proved: Debaltseve was under our control, there was no encirclement, and our troops left the area in a planned and organized manner with all the heavy weaponry: tanks, APCs, self-propelled artillery and vehicles.

This is an important point. As we pointed out just hours after the Minsk deal was signed, Putin said that since the Ukrainians were surrounded they should surrender since the real demarcation line should not include the surrounded troops. This statement ran counter to everyone else’s understanding of what had been agreed upon at Minsk.

What Poroshenko is saying here is that since the Ukrainian soldiers have withdrawn today it proves that Putin was not even right, and the Ukrainian troops were never surrounded. While this may be an academic point (the Russians and separatists never held the road, to our knowledge, but had effectively cut it off as demonstrated by the heavy fighting on the road today), Poroshenko is setting up the argument here that he did not abandon Debaltsevo, but rather this operation proved that Debaltsevo belonged to Ukraine and the other side broke the ceasefire.

Commanders are working with their personnel. We are waiting for one more column, one more company. Having withdrawn the combat patrol posts to the new defense line, we have preserved the bridgehead for the defense of the state. It is a strong evidence of combat readiness of the Armed Forces and efficiency of the military command. I can say that despite tough artillery and MLRS shelling, according to the recent data, we have 30 wounded out of more than 2,000 warriors. The information is being collected and may be clarified. I would like to say that Russia, which yesterday required the Ukrainian warriors to lay down arms, raise the white flag and surrender, was put to shame by the given actions. Ukrainian warriors honorably approved the high rank of the Ukrainian Defender of the Homeland. As I promised, they repelled those who tried to encircle them and left Debaltseve pursuant to my command, which I gave yesterday, when Russian servicemen forbade the OSCE representatives to come to Debaltseve to reaffirm our readiness to begin the withdrawal of heavy weaponry and demonstrate the absence of encirclement. They knew it was not true. We demonstrated and proved that with our operation.

The praise for the military here is expected, but Poroshenko is also making another argument here — his commands were followed by the Ukrainian military, and they have accomplished a net-positive outcome. This part of his statement appears to be aimed at those who have doubted his leadership or his military’s loyalty.

We are holding the new defense lines. In the course of my negotiations with leaders of the United States and the EU, I demanded a firm reaction from the world to Russia’s brutal violation of the Minsk agreements, the ceasefire regime and the withdrawal of heavy weaponry. We will prepare organized and coordinated actions together. I have convened the NSDC meeting for this evening. Now, I am departing to the front to meet those who left Debaltseve. I am honored to shake hands and thank Ukrainian heroes. Today, my Decree on awarding the high title of Hero of Ukraine to commander of the 128th Mukacheve mining-infantry brigade Serhiy Shaptal will be proclaimed. Ukraine is proud of such heroes. Internal stability will not be undermined by the battalions “everything is lost” and “this is the end”, lies about a lot of soldiers murdered yesterday, encircled roadblocks and Ukrainian warriors without ammunition, food and water. It is not a Ukrainian scenario. I am confident that those who were spreading it expected a different result. Fortunately, we successfully completed the operation and will have an opportunity to further defend the state.”

The question now is what will happen next. Will the Russians be satisfied with their new prize, or will they push further into Ukrainian territory? Will Poroshenko respond to this by relaunching an offensive? What will Europe and the United States do? Poroshenko does not give any hints here. He suggests that he is preparing a response, but that response may just be to sure up Ukraine’s defenses elsewhere. This is the start of the next chapter in this crisis.

— James Miller