LUGANSK, February 24. /TASS/. The leader of the Lugansk People’s Republic Leonid Pashechnik has said that the Ukrainian soldiers who have agreed to lay down arms will be amnestied.

"I am urging the Ukrainian soldiers to lay down arms. They will be amnestied," Pasechnik told a news conference in Lugansk.

Earlier, the deputy chief of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s militia, Eduard Basurin, said that Ukraine’s civilian population was not in danger and urged the Ukrainian military personnel to down their weapons.

Against a backdrop of a serious aggravation of the situation in Donbass Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 21 declared the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. Treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed with their leaders.

On Thursday morning, Putin said in a televised address that in response to messages from the Donbass leaders he made a decision to conduct a special military operation. Specifically, he stressed that Moscow had no plans for an occupation of Ukrainian territories.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian military were not dealing strikes against Ukrainian cities and its smart weapons were being used to eliminate military infrastructure facilities. The civilian population is not in danger, the Defense Ministry said.