Denis Pushilin is the leader of the pro-Russia separatist government within Ukraine’s Donetsk. He released a statement in which he announced a full troop mobilization, and asked reservists for attendance at military enlistment office.
Leonid Pasechnik (separatist leader in Luhansk) quickly made a similar announcement.
Pushilin mentioned an “immediate threat to aggression” from Ukrainian forces. These accusations were denied by Ukrainian officials earlier.
Pushilin stated, “I appeal all men in the republic that can hold weapons to protect their families, their wives, mothers,” Pushilin said, “Together, we will achieve that coveted victory we all want.”
Since 2008, the separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting each other. Recent days have seen an increase in violence along the contact line separating the two parties, which includes a humanitarian convoy that was shelled. The alarm was heightened by a car bombing in Donetsk on Friday.
The long-running separatist conflict between Ukraine and Russia could spark a wider attack, with an estimated 150,000 Russian troops currently stationed around Ukraine’s borders.
According to the Ukrainian military, a shelling attack on a soldier killed him Saturday in the government-held Donetsk region. Separatist forces also placed artillery in residential areas in an attempt to provoke a response.
The rebels began to evacuate civilians to Russia on Friday. This announcement appeared to be part their and Moscow’s attempts to portray Ukraine as an aggressor.
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Biden, who had for weeks stated that the U.S. wasn’t sure if Putin was determined send troops into neighboring countries, cited American intelligence to support his unsettling assessment.
Biden stated, “As of the moment, I’m sure he’s made that decision.” “We have reasons to believe that.” Biden reiterated that an assault could take place in the “coming days”.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin declared that it would conduct large nuclear drills Saturday. Putin also pledged to defend Russia’s national interests from Western threats.
Biden reiterated the threat of imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine and pressured Putin to reconsider.
According to a U.S. defense official, approximately 40% to 50% of ground forces near the Ukrainian border moved to attack positions closer to it.
Other officials said that the shift has been occurring for approximately a week and does not necessarily indicate that Putin has made a decision to invade. To discuss internal U.S. military assessments, the defense official spoke under anonymity.
Officials also stated that the number of Russian ground units, known as battalion tactical teams in the border region, had increased to as high as 125. This is an increase from 83 just two weeks ago. Each group contains between 750 and 1,000 soldiers.
Moscow and Washington still have open communication lines: Friday’s meeting between the American and Russian defense chiefs was a good example of this. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, and Sergey Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister) agreed to meet next Wednesday.
The immediate concern is for eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian rebel forces have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. This conflict has claimed the lives of approximately 14,000 people. It is not uncommon for violations of the ceasefire agreement of 2015, such as shelling along the line of direct contact and shooting.
Recent violence has increased. According to an Associated Press journalist, a bomber struck a car near the main government building of rebel-held Donetsk.
According to Interfax, Denis Sinenkov (head of separatist forces), claimed that the car belonged to him. There were no casualties reported and there was no independent confirmation about the circumstances of this blast. In rebel-held cities, targeted violence is not common.
Two explosions rattled the rebel-held city of Luhansk on Saturday morning, adding to tensions. According to the Luhansk Information Center, one explosion occurred in a natural gas main. According to witnesses, the other blast was at a vehicle servicing station.
The cause and injuries were not immediately known. Officials in Luhansk blamed the incident on sabotage.
Separatists in Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, and other regions that form Ukraine’s industrial heartland, had announced Saturday morning that more than 6,600 people living in rebel-controlled areas had been evacuated.
Separatist officials announced Friday plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people. Russian authorities have issued around 700,000 passports for residents of rebel-held territories. The military might use the excuse that Russian citizens are in danger to justify its actions.
Pushilin, who is the leader of the Donetsk rebel government said that women, children, and the elderly would be first and that Russia has provided facilities. Pushilin claimed in a video that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, was about to call for an immediate offensive in the region.
The Associated Press confirmed that metadata from two videos by separatists announcing evacuation showed that the files were created two day ago. The U.S. authorities claim that the Kremlin could have used prerecorded videos as a pretext for an invasion.
Children were moved from Donetsk’s orphanage and others boarded buses to Russia by authorities. As more people left on their own, long lines formed at gas stations.
Putin directed the Russian government to pay 10,000 rubles (about $130), to each evacuee. This is roughly half the average monthly salary in war-ravaged Donbas.
According to Ukraine’s military chief, rebel shelling occurred in the Luhansk area around the volatile line of contact. There were no casualties. The rebels denied any involvement and accused Ukraine for staging a provocative act.
Ukraine denies planning an offensive.
Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Minister, tweeted that “we are fully committed to diplomatic conflict resolution only.”
