A Russian-backed separatist leader in Eastern Ukraine announced evacuation of son escape regionresidents of southeastern Russia on Friday after a raise in bombing raid.
Announce the move on social mediaDenis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said Russia had agreed to provide housing for people leave and that women, children and the elderly should be prioritized.
There was no immediate comment from Russian or Kyiv officials, and a Reuters witness in the regionthe capital of Donetsk said there were no signs yet of an evacuation.
“As of today, February 18, a mass centralized evacuation of the population to the Russian Federation was organized,” Pushilin said. ” The women, children and the elderly must be evacuated first,” he said.
Washington and its allies have raised fears that the upsurge in violence in the region could be part of a Russian pretext to invade Ukraine. The voltages are already high over a Russian military accumulation to the northest and south of Ukraine.
Russia, which denies having planned to raise the alarm earlier on Friday over a sharp increase in bombing raid in the region known as Donbass.
several hundred thousand people are planning to leave the Donetsk People’s Republic to Russia region of Rostov, Interfax news the agency quoted a source in the self-proclaimed republic parliament as told.
