Denis Pushilin, the head of the People's Republic of Donetsk, announced the massive evacuation of the population to the Rostov region.
The authorities of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk organized a massive evacuation of local residents to Russia. The head of the region, Denis Pushilin, announced the news on Friday, February 18, in his Telegram channel.
Evacuation will be arranged for women, children and the elderly in the first place. The head of the People's Republic of Donetsk also mentioned the agreement with the Russian leadership, according to which the evacuated people would be accommodated in the Rostov region.
"It is our earnest request to listen and make the right decision. A temporary departure will save the life and health to you and your loved ones,” Pushilin wrote.
The situation in the Donbass has escalated during the recent days. On February 17, it was reported that the people's militia of the People's Republic of Donetsk opened return fire on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. OSCE observers reporded about 500 explosions near the line of contact in eastern Ukraine on February 16-17.
The situation in Donbass is alarming and potentially dangerous, Putin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, TASS reports.
When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin, like his American counterpart Joe Biden, uses intelligence services, Dmitry Peskov said that the number of intelligence services in Russia was smaller, although they worked just as effectively.
The Russian president has many sources that give him a real picture of things. Putin receives reports from relevant services in a timely manner, Peskov added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that right now one can see the situation in the Donbass aggravating.
Speaking at a press conference following a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin called on the Ukrainian authorities to comply with the Minsk agreements and sit down at the negotiating table with the leadership of the unrecognized People's Republic of Donetsk and Luhansk.