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The diplomatic crisis on the Russian-Ukrainian border is escalating, with the war drums sounding even louder and the latest developments suggesting a powerful explosion in Donetsk. Conditions on the eastern side of Ukraine indicate the beginning of a conflict: the area is being evacuated, women and children are being evacuated, civilians are fleeing for their lives.The separatist authorities of the Donetsk "republic" announced this afternoon that a car exploded near a government building in the city of the same name.
A Russian Sputnik correspondent reported that the explosion occurred a few dozen meters from the building. A fire broke out, but neighbouring buildings were not damaged.
There is no information from official sources about casualties, but Interfax reported that no one was injured.
According to the Tass agency, a car exploded in the parking lot of the building.
The clashes continue at an alarming pace, and a few hours ago a US technology agency showed how much Russian forces have increased on the border with Ukraine. It was shown in satellite images that the Russians have set up a hospital and a floating bridge in the disputed areas to prepare for casualties and transport military vehicles.
The situation in eastern Ukraine resembles a war zone, with Donetsk evacuated for fear of serious combat casualties. Russia has multiplied its forces and the West is sending constant messages of de-escalation.
Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have gathered children at an orphanage in the breakaway region to begin transporting them to Russia, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
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The self-declared Donetsk People's Republic announced earlier today a mass evacuation of the region and the transfer of its residents to Russia, following an increase in bombing. The self-declared Luhansk People's Republic later issued a similar announcement.
A leader of Russian-backed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine announced the evacuation of residents of his breakaway region to Russia on Friday, heightening fears in the West that Moscow was planning to use an escalation in the long-running conflict as a pretext to invade Ukraine.
The move follows a spate of bombings in the region that has raised fresh global alarm, with tensions rising once again after the United States and its allies disputed Moscow's claims of troop withdrawals near Ukraine's border.
Moscow announced large-scale exercises of its nuclear forces from Saturday, which will be overseen by President Vladimir Putin and provide a timely reminder of the country's nuclear capability as Europe faces its worst security crisis since the Cold War. But the focus of the world's concern on Friday was eastern Ukraine.
Dennis Pusilin, head of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic," announced the evacuation in a video posted on social media, according to translations by the Associated Press and Reuters. He claimed without evidence that Kiev was planning its own military offensive in the region in the east of the country, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting government forces since 2014, news agencies reported.
He added that women, children and elderly people would be moved first, according to the AP and Reuters translation, and that Russia had prepared the necessary facilities to accommodate them. There was no indication that Kiev was planning such an attack and Ukraine says its forces have had to show restraint after an increase in ceasefire violations by Russian-backed separatists because they believe it is a ploy designed to provoke Ukraine into retaliation.
Dmitry Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, tweeted that his government "categorically denies" what he called "Russian disinformation reports." He said, "Ukraine is not conducting or planning such actions in Donbass. We are fully committed to diplomatic resolution of the conflict only."
"As many as 190,000 troops have been concentrated by Russia on the border with Ukraine," US says
Meanwhile, the United States has observed continued movement of Russian troops to areas on the border with Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today.
"Although Russia has announced that its forces are returning to base, we haven't seen it yet. Indeed, we are seeing more forces entering that border area," Austin said after a meeting with his Polish counterpart Marius Blazak. "We also see them continuing to prepare," notably "getting closer to the border, deploying troops, and increasing their surveillance capabilities," Austin clarified.
Meanwhile, in the same context, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter said that the number of Russian troops on Ukraine's border is significantly higher (almost double) than what was known until recently. "We estimate that Russia has probably amassed 169,000-190,000 troops on the border with Ukraine compared to about 100,000 on 30 January. This is the most significant military mobilization in Europe since World War II," Carpenter noted.
"Ignorance" says Kremlin about the evacuation of residents from Donbass
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he does not know what is happening at the moment in the "Donetsk People's Republic."
"I do not know what is happening there at the moment," Peskov said, in response to statements made earlier by the leader of the pro-Russian separatist "republic" of Donetsk, Denis Pusilin, who announced the withdrawal of civilians to Russia, accusing Kiev of preparing an invasion following a resumption of fighting.
Asked whether these actions have been agreed with Moscow, Peskov reiterated: "I don't know, I don't have such information." The Russian president's spokesman also said he did not know among whom contacts had been made on this issue.
After Pushilin, the leader of the separatist "republic" of Lugansk, Leonid Psechnik, called on its residents to head to Russia within a short time.
The West's anxiety about the proliferation of military forces on the Russian-Soviet border is evident. "Today there is the threat of war in the middle of our Europe," Foreign Minister Annalena Berbok warned, speaking of the danger of changing the security architecture in Europe and calling on Moscow to take de-escalation steps.
"Anyone who wants to live safely with the other person does not threaten him. The 130,000 troops on the Ukrainian border can only be perceived as a threat," Ms. Burbock said, speaking a few hours ago at the Munich Security Conference, on a panel with her U.S. counterpart Anthony Blinken. The question, she pointed out, is whether we are more likely to end up with rules-based cooperation or a system with spheres of influence and military power politics like the one after Yalta in 1945. "This crisis is not Ukrainian, it is Russian," the minister stressed, and once again called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from the Ukrainian border and engage in dialogue "on how we can guarantee a certain level of security for the world in 2022."
The audience included Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, who, addressing the minister, noted that Ukrainians are ready to fight for their country and their families, but expressed his displeasure at Germany's refusal to hand over weapons to Ukraine. "Thank you for the 5,000 helmets, but we cannot defend our country like this. They are not enough," he said scathingly, referring to the helmets that the German government recently sent to Ukraine at a Ukrainian request, while rejecting the possibility of approving the supply of armaments.
"It is not an easy decision for us. But if we take such a decision (i.e. to deliver arms to Ukraine), then the Normandy Scheme no longer works and then this will be another security threat," Ms. Berbock replied, noting that Germany is particularly interested in preventing the collapse of Ukraine from within, "due to a lack of investment or a collapse of its currency. We are Ukraine's largest donor," the Foreign Minister added and concluded: "There is a difference between being the foreign minister of Germany and being the mayor of Kiev."
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia to stop the military actions that have proliferated in recent hours in the Dombas and to de-escalate the pressure around Ukraine.
During a press conference in Brussels, Macron stressed that "the situation in the Dombas is very worrying" and with many victims and called for an end to military actions that are contrary to the agreements reached.
"So far we have no evidence of de-escalation on the part of Russia," Macron went on to say: "I welcome President Putin's statements, but a partner is credible when actions are in line with his statements."
The French president said European allies are calling firstly for an end to military actions and a de-escalation and secondly for constructive negotiations to begin. He finally noted that in the coming hours there will be coordination between the Europeans and the US via teleconference, saying: "we are clear about our unity and what we are asking for."
Source: protothema.gr
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