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Donetsk republic announces mass evacuation of civilians into Russia from Feb 18

Women, children and the elderly are to be evacuated first, DPR leader Denis Pushilin informed

DONETSK, February 18. /TASS/. The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has launched organized evacuation of the population into Russia over the threat of a military operation by Ukraine, DPR leader Denis Pushilin said on Friday.

"Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will soon order the military to mount an offensive and to implement the plan of invasion of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics," Pushilin said in an emergency address to the republic’s inhabitants, posted on his website.

According to Pushilin, in recent months the republic has daily "recorded Ukraine’s buildup of troops and lethal weapons, including Smerch and Uragan multiple rocket launchers, NLAW [anti-tank] missile systems as well as Javelin and Stinger [missiles] along the entire line of contact."

"Today their guns are targeting civilians, us and our children. The enemy’s armed forces are deployed in battle order and are poised to seize Donbass by force," he warned.

The DPR leader pointed out that having gained the experience of warfare, the republic’s forces are on constant combat readiness and are capable of defending both the civilians and infrastructure.

Nevertheless, Pushilin went on to say, the lives and health of the republic’s citizens could be threatened in case Ukrainian forces start shelling the DPR residential areas.

"Therefore, from today, February 18, mass centralized evacuation of the population to the Russian Federation has been organized. Women, children and the elderly are to be evacuated first," the DPR leader said.

"The management of companies and offices must organize the evacuation of employees’ families. The territorial defense headquarters are to provide transport for evacuation of the civilian population," he added.

Pushilin said that in accordance with the agreement with the Russian leadership, facilities were put up in the Rostov region to accommodate DPR residents.

"The evacuees will be provided with everything they need. All conditions have been created for quick crossings at checkpoints," he said.

Escalation in Donbass

The situation along the contact line in eastern Ukraine took a turn for the worse in the morning of February 17. The DPR and LPR reported some of the most intensive shelling by Kiev’s armed forces in recent months. There have been no reports of casualties but the shelling damaged some civilian facilities. The spike in tensions occurred as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was touring the Ukrainian military’s operation zone in Donbass. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin was keeping an eye on the situation and regards it as "very, very dangerous" due to provocations by Ukraine.

Additional ceasefire control measures, which were approved by the Contact Group seeking peace for eastern Ukraine, have been in effect in Donbass since July 27, 2020. The measures include bans on any offensive, intelligence or sabotage activities, the use of all types of aircraft, any shooting, and the deployment of heavy weapons to populated localities.