Donbass After Heavy Shelling By Ukrainian Forces Began Mass Evacuation Of Civilians To Russia

Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, on Friday announced a mass evacuation of civilians to Russia. This decision was made after night shelling by the Ukrainian security forces, this time especially intense.

Kiev used heavy weapons, which, according to the Minsk agreements, should not be in that area at all. Saboteurs became more active on the territory of the republics.

"During the attack, a security guard of the enterprise, who discovered a group of saboteurs, was wounded. He received medical assistance, there is no threat to life. Special services are on the scene. I appeal to the world community and representatives of international organizations, asking them to critically assess the criminal actions of the Ukrainian side. Armed formations of Ukraine are deliberately trying to sow fear and panic among the civilian population of our republic. And for this they choose vital civilian targets for strikes,"  Official representative of the People's Militia Department of the DPR Eduard Basurin reported.

All last night, Ukrainian artillerymen fired at the line of contact. The fire was fired from all types of weapons, including 120-mm mortars, which are prohibited by the Minsk agreements. This, say local residents, cannot be remembered since 2015, when the most fierce battles were going on and the Ukrainian army leveled the cities and towns of the people's republics with the ground, and the civilian population did not crawl out of basements and bomb shelters.

Residential buildings are being shelled. A direct blow to an electrical substation in Verkhnetoretsky. All this and neighboring villages - almost 800 houses - were de-energized.

Donetsk today froze to the sound of sirens, because they sound warning of mass shelling. Later it turned out that while this is a training alarm. But against the background of the aggravated situation, the head of the republic decided to start evacuating the civilian population. 

"Starting today, a mass exodus of the population to the Russian Federation has been organized. First of all, women, children and the elderly are subject to evacuation. By agreement with the leadership of the Russian Federation in the Rostov region, places for the reception and accommodation of our citizens are ready," Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin stated.