Citizens of the two self-proclaimed republics of Donbass began this Friday to evacuate to Russia in the face of a possible offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to statements by the Donetsk and Lugansk leaders, Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky would soon order his military forces to launch an attack on the region.
Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) leader Denis Pushilin said the situation is critical and Kiev can launch a large-scale offensive against Donbass and start a war at any time. According to Pushilin, the number of DPR refugees arriving in Russia could be in the hundreds of thousands.
For a few days, concerns have been growing about a possible offensive by the Ukrainian Army. This Thursday, heavy bombardments were reported in the conflict zone. Military under Kyiv’s command reportedly fired on several towns and villages in the region with mortars, grenade launchers and rifles.
In turn, observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recorded 591 ceasefire violations in Donbass on Wednesday, including 316 explosions, a figure significantly higher than in previous days.
Evacuation of the population
With these reports, the leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics urged this Friday the population to evacuate to Russia, stressing that the first to leave will be women, children and the elderly.
At the same time, the President of the Luhansk Republic, Leonid Passechnik, urged the men to protect their homeland. “Once again I call on all men capable of bearing arms to defend their land,” he said. For his part, the leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic also indicated that the men should stay in the region to defend it.
Shortly after the announcements, civil defense alarms went off in Donetsk.
At the same time, there were numerous traffic jams on the roads out of Donetsk, while other residents formed long queues at ATMs and gas stations.
Thus, this Friday afternoon the massive evacuation of the population of Donetsk began, with 225 orphaned children being the first to leave.
According to witnesses currently in Lugansk, minors are being evacuated there as well, and unhindered access to the Russian border has been arranged.
Meanwhile, at approximately 19:00 (local time), a powerful explosion occurred near the Donetsk Government building. The head of the popular militia of that territory, Denís Sinenkov, affirmed that the destroyed car was his, but that “no one was injured”.
What will happen to the refugees now?
Evacuated citizens will be able to stay in “reception and accommodation facilities” that are prepared in the Russian province of Rostov. “The evacuees will be provided with everything they need,” said Denis Pushilin, adding that “all the conditions have been created for a quick transition at the border crossings.”
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the acting Emergencies Minister, Alexander Chupriyán, to fly urgently to the Rostov region to organize the necessary accommodation conditions for the refugees from Donbass. The Russian government will also give 10,000 rubles (about $130) to each of the evacuees.
In turn, Crimean Senator Sergei Tsekov told RIA Novosti that the refugees can be received not only by the Rostov province, but also by Crimea and other Russian regions.
