eastern Ukraine
Pro-Russian rebel leader in Donetsk announces “general mobilization”
Ukrainian soldiers stand in the back of a truck driving on a muddy road.
© Vadim Ghirda / DPA
The OSCE has recently registered increased attacks in eastern Ukraine. Now the leader of the pro-Russian rebels is calling for “general mobilization.”
The head of the pro-Russian rebels in the self-proclaimed “People’s Republic” of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine has called for “general mobilization”. “Today I signed a decree on general mobilization,” said Denis Puschilin in a video message published on Saturday. He called on citizens who were reservists to “come to the military enrollment offices.” The pro-Russian rebels had previously asked civilians in Donetsk to “get to safety”.
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.
Biden expects Russia to attack Ukraine
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 boss Vladimir Putin had already “made the decision” to attack the neighboring country. He expects the invasion in the “coming days”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there could be “no doubt that we are now witnessing the greatest concentration of military forces in Europe since the end of the Cold War.”
150,000 Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian border
A massive Russian troop deployment, which according to Western figures is now around 150,000 soldiers, has fueled fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine for weeks. Moscow denies any plans of attack and says it feels threatened by NATO.
For Saturday, Russia scheduled a major maneuver of its army, which is overseen by 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.