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Pro-Russian separatists near Debaltseve (archive): "I appeal to all men of the republic who are able to hold a gun"
Photo: Mstyslav Chernov/ AP/dpa
Separatists in eastern Ukraine have called for a »general mobilization«.
"Today I signed a decree on general mobilization," said Denis Puschilin in a video message published on Saturday.
The head of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" said: "I appeal to all men of the republic who are able to hold a weapon in their hands to stand up for their families, their children, their wives, their mothers." He called on citizens who were reservists to "come to the military enrollment offices."
The rebels had also asked the civilians in Donetsk to “get to safety” – many of them are being taken to Russia, allegedly to protect them from Ukrainian violence.
According to the Donetsk separatists on Saturday morning, more than 6,000 people have already been taken away, including 2,400 children.
The United States, meanwhile, accuses the rebels of a "cynical" maneuver intended to cover up the source of the aggression.
The separatist leader of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People's Republic”, Leonid Pasechnik, also signed a decree for mobilization.
Apparently, it should also apply there that men between the ages of 18 and 55 – i.e. of military age – are no longer allowed to leave the area.
OSCE: "Dramatic Increase" in Attacks
In the conflict area in eastern Ukraine, the attacks have recently continued, according to the separatists and the government army.
The insurgents around Donetsk said several dozen shells had been fired on their area since midnight.
The Ukrainian army spoke of 19 violations of the ceasefire by the separatists.
Much of this and other information from the crisis region cannot be verified, or only with difficulty.
According to Ukrainian sources, a soldier from the government troops was killed in the fighting.
The army announced this on Facebook.
The insurgents, for their part, spoke of an injured civilian.
According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Saturday, the massive tensions between Russia and Ukraine have seen a "dramatic increase" in attacks along the front line in eastern Ukraine.
On Thursday, 222 ceasefire violations were counted in Donetsk, including 135 explosions.
According to the OSCE, there were 189 such incidents on Wednesday and 24 on Tuesday.
Increasing violence in eastern Ukraine fuels fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he was "convinced" that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had already "made the decision" to attack the neighboring country.
He reckoned with the invasion in the "coming days".
Russian missile maneuver planned
Since 2014, Western-backed government troops have been fighting Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, not far from the Russian border.
According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have already been killed, mostly in the separatist area.
A peace plan from 2015 mediated by Franco-German mediation is not implemented.
The situation has been escalating for weeks: A massive Russian troop deployment, which according to Western figures now numbers around 150,000 soldiers, is stoking fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia scheduled a major maneuver for its army on Saturday, which is to be overseen by President Putin himself.
Strategic troops and ballistic missiles are to be included, as the Ministry of Defense announced in Moscow.
The air force, army units from the southern military district and the Black Sea and North Sea fleets are said to be involved.
Nevertheless, Moscow denies any plans of attack – and for its part says it feels threatened by NATO.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there was “no doubt that we are now seeing the greatest concentration of military forces in Europe since the end of the Cold War”.
Apr/dpa/AFP