An executive order of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will signal the start of an operation of the united forces in Donbas, Yuriy Bobrov of the Ukrainian General Staff's legal affairs department said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"The operation of the combined forces will begin with an executive order of the Ukrainian president and supreme commander-in-chief," Bobrov said.

The president may sign the order soon, he added.

As to who could be appointed commander of the combined forces, Bobrov said, "Nominations have been made, and the Ukrainian president and supreme commander-in-chief will soon appoint the commander of the combined forces."

The candidate is a "battle-hardened general who has been in charge of the forces since the beginning of the Donbas events," Bobrov said.

The Law on Specifics of State Policy to Ensure the State Sovereignty of Ukraine in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions took effect on February 26, 2018.