A general mobilization has been declared in the self-proclaimed “Donetsk people’s republic”. The corresponding decree was signed on Saturday, February 19, by the head of the unrecognized entity Denis Pushilin. “I urge fellow countrymen who are in reserve to come to the military commissariats,” he said in a video message.
The general mobilization was approved by the People’s Council of the “DPR”, TASS reports. The head of the committee on ethics, regulations and organization of work, Natalya Pshenichnaya, said at the same time that there was an “immediate threat of aggression” from the Ukrainian army.
Soon, a general mobilization was announced for the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic”. The corresponding decree was signed by the head of the “LNR” Leonid Pasechnik. He forbade men aged 18-55 from leaving the territory of the region and allowed the executive authorities to seize vehicles and property “necessary for defense needs” from citizens and enterprises. The decree orders to transfer the economy of the DPR, state authorities, enterprises and institutions to work in wartime conditions.
Ruling Servant of the People party: Ukraine does not intend to attack separatists
Meanwhile, the ruling Servant of the People party in Ukraine stated that Kiev is not considering the possibility of liberating the territories of the unrecognized “DNR” and “LNR” by military means. This statement was made public on her Telegram channel by the leader of the Servant of the People Elena Shulyak. “Ukraine has not planned and is not planning any offensive operation in Donbas,” the document emphasizes.
It also claims that Russia is organizing provocations in the Donbass, and the deportation of residents of the region to Russia that began on February 18 by the authorities of the “DPR” is regarded as “illegal deportation” carried out under the pretext of allegedly preparing an offensive operation by the Ukrainian army. These actions are called in the statement “an attempt to artificially create a pretext for a full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.”
Escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
The day before, the situation in the conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation sharply worsened once again. The heads of the “DNR” and “LNR” Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik distributed video messages announcing the evacuation of the population to Russia. Meanwhile, Bellingcat, citing metadata, indicated that both calls were recorded two days earlier, on February 16. At the same time, Pushilin himself, in an address to the citizens of the “DPR”, says: “From today, February 18, a mass, centralized departure of the population to the Russian Federation has been organized.” By the morning of February 19, thousands of residents of Donbass were taken to the Rostov region, and other regions of the Russian Federation also declared their readiness to accept Ukrainian refugees.
A car exploded in the center of Donetsk on February 18, and the “LPR” authorities reported explosions on a gas pipeline in Lugansk. On the evening of February 16 and the morning of February 17, OSCE observers recorded about 500 explosions near the line of contact in eastern Ukraine. This is several times more than the values of the previous days. Kiev and the separatists accused each other of escalating tensions.
US President Joe Biden said on the evening of February 18 that he expects an attack by the Russian Federation on a neighboring country in the “coming days.” As the head of the White House pointed out, he is “sure” that Putin has already “decided” to attack Ukraine, including the capture of Kiev. At the same time, Biden admitted that with the help of diplomatic efforts, it would still be possible to prevent a Russian invasion. According to Western intelligence agencies, about 150,000 Russian troops are stationed in the regions along the Ukrainian border. Moscow says it is not planning an attack.
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