DONETSK, February 23. /TASS/. No Russian troops are currently present on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), DPR Head Denis Pushilin said at a joint press conference with Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia party Andrey Turchak on Wednesday.
"As of now, Russian troops are not present here," the DPR head said.
"As for the future, whether the presence of Russian troops is possible here, it is possible. The situation and moves by Ukraine will show when and under which circumstances. If it is a large-scale offensive, resources that we have [will be used] and there are quite a lot of them. We must count on ourselves, in the first place. This is why, the mobilization activity that we mentioned today is underway. Can this [the introduction of Russian troops] take place? Of course, it can. This is because Russia has now the right to that under a treaty that we concluded between the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Russian Federation," the DPR head said.
The situation at the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on the morning of February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military in recent months, which damaged civil infrastructure facilities and caused civilian casualties.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders.