Ukraine crisis: Rebels granted self-rule and amnesty

A shaky ceasefire has been in place in eastern Ukraine since 5 September

Ukraine's parliament has granted self-rule to parts of eastern regions held by pro-Russian rebels, as well as an amnesty for the fighters themselves. The measures are in line with the 5 September ceasefire agreement signed by President Petro Poroshenko.
The European and Ukrainian parliaments also voted to ratify a major EU-Ukraine association agreement.
Meanwhile, Russia said it needed to boost troops in Crimea - Ukraine's peninsula annexed by Moscow in March.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said "a full and self-reliant force" must be deployed in the southern region because of the escalating Ukraine crisis and a foreign military build-up.
The pro-Russian rebels have been battling Ukrainian government forces since their seizure of a number of towns in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in April.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of backing the separatists with soldiers and heavy weapons. The Kremlin denies doing so.
At least 3,000 people have been killed in the five-month conflict and more than 310,000 internally displaced in Ukraine, the UN says.
The amnesty affects rebels in the eastern regions, but does not cover the shooting down of the MH17 passenger plane in July. All 298 people on board died.
Western leaders believe rebels shot down the Malaysia Airlines jet with a Russian missile - a charge the rebels and Russia deny.
Rebels accused of other "grave" crimes will not be covered by the new amnesty either.
Historic day The EU-Ukraine agreement ratified on Tuesday lies at the root of Ukraine's crisis.

Mass protests in Kiev helped to bring the previous government down

It was Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign the deal in November last year that triggered mass protests and his eventual fall from power.
The votes ratifying the agreement took place simultaneously, with a live video link-up between the parliaments in Strasbourg and Kiev.
Both President Poroshenko and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, called it a historic day.
But negotiations with Russia last week led to the free-trade part of the agreement being postponed until 2016.
There are fears in Ukraine that Russia will still try to scupper the deal.
Call to free prisoners The amnesty law passed by the Ukrainian parliament means pro-Russian separatists taken prisoner in the fighting should now be released.
Rebels holding government buildings in the east are now supposed to leave them, hand over captured Ukrainian soldiers and other prisoners and surrender their weapons.
However, many of the rebels are demanding full independence, and speak of creating a new state called "Novorossiya", something Russian President Vladimir Putin has also mentioned in speeches.

 

The fighting has devastated Ukraine's industrial region in the east near Russia

Andrei Purgin, a rebel leader in the eastern city of Donetsk, told AFP news agency that the eastern region "no longer has anything to do with Ukraine".
"Ukraine is free to adopt any law it wants," he is quoted as saying. "But we are not planning any federalism with Ukraine."
Mr Purgin nonetheless said the legislation giving the special status to the rebel-held areas for three years was a "positive signal because it marks Kiev's return to reality".
President Poroshenko said the proposals would guarantee the "sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence" of Ukraine, while paving the way for decentralisation.
Economic sanctions The wide-ranging EU-Ukraine association agreement (officially called the AA/DCFTA) would make Ukraine compliant with EU standards in the areas of human rights, security and arms control, and would remove trade barriers.
The pact has been signed, but Russia opposes the free-trade provisions, saying its market could be flooded with cheap EU goods shipped via Ukraine.
So until 2016 Ukraine will maintain its existing restrictions on imports from the EU, while enjoying full access to the EU market for its own exports.
In return, Russia has pledged to maintain favourable trade rules in place for Ukraine as an ex-Soviet republic.
Yet the crisis has severely hit Russia-Ukraine trade ties, with the two neighbours imposing economic sanctions on each other.