Government and rebel forces continue to clash… Russia warns of response if its citizens die
In the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine (Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts), claims of civilian deaths continue amid ongoing clashes between government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels.
The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), declared by separatists in the Lugansk region of Donbas, said the government forces attacked two civilians on the evening of the 21st (local time), according to the Rianovosti news agency.
The LPR representative dispatched to the ‘Joint Center for Monitoring and Coordination of Armistice and Frontline Stabilization Issues’ (JCCC) to monitor the ceasefire in Donbass said, “The government military used 120mm shells, which were prohibited by the Minsk Agreement (Donbass Armistice), on the residential area of the LPR region the previous evening. The attack was carried out nine times,” he said.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), proclaimed by separatists in the Donetsk province of Donbas, also announced that a civilian and a soldier were killed and another soldier wounded in an attack by government forces.
The LPR said on the previous day that two civilians were killed in an attack by Ukrainian government forces in the village of Pionerskoye, Lugansk Province, 7 km from the Russian border.
Russia has previously warned that it will respond immediately if its citizens die in the Donbass conflict.
It has not been confirmed whether the civilians killed were Russian nationals.
The DPR and LPR are inhabited by many Russian nationals or residents of Russian descent who have received passports from the Russian government.
It is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of Russian nationals.
The Ukrainian government insists that it is not responding to pro-Russian rebel attacks in order not to give Russia an excuse for military provocations.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an international group that monitors the ceasefire in the Donbass region, has confirmed the engagement but has not specified which side is leading the attack.
OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmidt said in a tweet on the 20th, “We urge all sides to withdraw their heavy weapons out of their comfort zone, observe the ceasefire and protect civilians.”
“OSCE monitoring teams have confirmed that the use of heavy weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreement is increasing.
Threats to civilian life are unacceptable,” he said.
Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Lugansk provinces in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine announced the establishment of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR after Russia annexed Crimea that belonged to Ukraine based on the results of a referendum in 2014. .
Since the declaration of independence, the DPR and LPR have been fighting armed independence against the Ukrainian government.
The UN estimates that more than 14,000 people have been killed on both camps so far in clashes between government forces and separatist rebels.
The large-scale fighting between the two sides was halted by the ‘Minsk Agreement’, a peace agreement signed after the summit of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany in 2015, but sporadic engagements have continued ever since.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces has intensified since the 17th, amid growing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On the 18th, the DPR and LPR governments ordered residents in the area to evacuate to Russia, citing the risk of a large-scale attack by the government forces.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Management said 61,000 residents of Donbas had fled to Russia by the 20th.
/yunhap news
