The leader of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Danetsk, which is at war with Ukraine’s government army, today declared a “general mobilization” amid concerns about a Russian invasion.
“I call on my reserve compatriots to report to the military offices. “Today, I signed the general mobilization decree,” Dennis Pushilin said in a recorded message.
Mr Pushilin’s announcement came as observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) noted a “dramatic increase” in violence along the front lines between pro-Russian separatists and government troops.
Authorities in the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Danetsk said today that artillery fire from the Ukrainian government army damaged a water station in the Vasilyevka district, which serves areas on both sides of the line, while firing indiscriminately.
Electricity supply to part of the area was also cut off.
The situation on the line of contact in the “people’s democracies” of Danetsk and Lugansk has deteriorated rapidly since the day before yesterday Thursday morning, with heavy gunfire and mortar fire. Authorities in Lugansk have said they are evacuating civilians.
The Ukrainian army announced that 12 violations of the ceasefire agreement were recorded this morning and another 66 in the previous 24 hours.
The Ukrainian staff reported via Facebook that separatists opened fire on more than 20 settlements, even with heavy artillery, something banned under the Minsk agreements.
OSCE observers said earlier that they had recorded 222 ceasefire violations on the front line in the Danetsk region controlled by pro-Russian separatists, including 135 “explosions”, up from 189 on Wednesday and 24 on Tuesday. In the Luhansk region, which is also controlled by pro-Russian separatists, the agency reported 648 violations, including 519 “explosions”, up from 402 on Wednesday and 129 on Tuesday.
Washington has been warning for weeks that Moscow is looking for a pretext at the border to invade Ukraine. Russia has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia’s security have been made more than once.
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