Photo taken on Dec. 24, 2016 shows Ukrainian army's armored vehicles withdrawn from the frontline on the way to the Donetsk city in the Donbas region, Ukraine. (Xinhua/Chen Junfeng)
KIEV, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian parliament's newspaper "Golos Ukrainy" published on Friday a controversial law on the return of the conflict-hit Donbas region in eastern Ukraine under Kiev's sovereignty, paving the way for the legislation to come into effect on Feb. 24.
Last month, the Ukrainian parliament passed the law on the Donbas re-integration, which defines areas controlled by pro-independence rebels as "temporarily occupied territories."
On Feb. 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraine would make a "colossal mistake" and would breach the Minsk agreements if it does pass the law.
However, on Feb. 20, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the law, saying it does not violate any international obligations of Ukraine, including the Minsk agreements.
The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015 respectively, envisage a ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the contact line, a prisoner exchange and local elections, among other measures.
The conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region started in April 2014, after government forces launched offensives to regain control of the cities and towns seized by armed groups which declared independence from Kiev.