DONETSK, February 19. /TASS/. The People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic expects the shelling of its territory to intensify, because it has information indicating that the Kiev government is building up its forces and equipment near the line of contact, Deputy Head of the People’s Militia in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Eduard Basurin said on Saturday.

"We are still receiving reports about the enemy's buildup of its attack forces in all directions," he said. "In this regard, we expect the number and intensity of shelling attacks to grow."

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 forces in recent months. There have been no reports of casualties but the shelling damaged some civilian facilities.

On Friday, the leaders of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR), Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin, announced the evacuation of the republics’ inhabitants to Russia, citing the increasing threat of hostilities. All-out mobilization was announced in the republics on Saturday.