On Friday, the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) announced the evacuation of their citizens to the Rostov Region after the Ukrainian army launched an attack against the self-proclaimed republics.
The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said that he’d signed a decree on general mobilisation in the republic.
The DPR has prevented Ukrainian special services from engaging in several acts of terrorism in the last several days, Pushilin added.
He said that no matter how events develop, the DPR will be able to contain Kiev’s aggression.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine use mortars, grenade launchers, anti-tank missile systems during shelling, while the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic holds back the enemy with return fire, Denis Pushilin stressed.
In turn, the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Leonid Pasechnik, said on Saturday that he had signed a decree on general mobilisation in the republic and banned men aged 18-55 from leaving the region.
The authorities of the DPR and the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic started the evacuation of civilians to Russia on Friday, fearing military aggression by the Ukrainian government. The DPR head has warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could order a full-fledged offensive against the self-proclaimed republics at any time.
About 25,000 residents of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic and 6,600 people, including almost 2,500 children from the self- proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have crossed the border with Russia as of Saturday morning.
On 18 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Kiev needs to engage in dialogue with the self-proclaimed Donbass republics and come up with a common solution to end the ongoing conflict.
The situation on the contact line between Ukraine and the DPR and LPR has worsened in the last several days, as Kiev has intensified its shelling of the territories of the self-proclaimed republics.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
