“We are witnessing the following trend: the more decisive the anti-terrorist operation, the more reluctant are the locals to fight. There are some ideologically-motivated people and criminals who have been noticed committing crimes and have their hands all covered in blood. They have no way back, so we are sure that they will not surrender and will keep on the resistance. In fact, this is a small number of terrorists. Most, though, are marginal people who have little understanding of what they are doing with the weapons and why they need the Donetsk or Luhansk People’s Republic. Respectively, they choose between shedding blood with the likelihood of being killed and a chance to surrender. Of course, this (the ceasefire – Ed.) is a very good move because we believe that quite a few such people will lay down arms,” he said.
Tymchuk also said that terrorists constantly surrender but he cannot give a specific number of such people. “I’m not sure there are any estimates and someone can tell you the exact number. There is no possibility to hold any investigations on the spot right now: when people come around and lay down arms, they are simply let go.”
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He added that Ukraine should provide a corridor for Russian mercenaries to escape. “The most resilient forces of the terrorists, their core part are, obviously, mercenaries coming from Russia. For them, this is an alien territory and they have a choice between fleeing back to Russia or keeping up the resistance. They are also offered this corridor now, there are such talks within the framework of peaceful solution.”
On June 16, President Poroshenko offered a ceasefire in the Donbas to allow separatists to lay down weapons. Andriy Parubiy, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, said that Ukraine was prepared to give diversionists and militants a week to lay down arms and leave Ukraine.
