Europe 1 with AFP 10:37 a.m., February 19, 2022
The leaders of the pro-Russian separatists, at war against Ukraine, proclaimed Saturday the "general mobilization", at a time when fears of a Russian attack are at their height.
The leaders of the pro-Russian separatists, at war against Ukraine, proclaimed Saturday the "general mobilization", at a time when fears of a Russian attack are at their height.
"Repelling an attack"
"I call on my fellow citizens in the reserve to report to the military conscription offices. Today I signed the general mobilization decree," the head of the Donetsk "republic" Denis Pushilin announced in a video statement. .
A few minutes later, Leonid Passechnik, the leader of the "republic" of Luhansk, the other breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, signed a similar decree calling for the mobilization of men aged 18 to 55 to prepare, according to him, to "repel an aggression".
The announcements come as observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Saturday they had seen a "dramatic increase" in ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces have clashed since 2014.
Biden convinced that Putin has decided to invade Ukraine
Western leaders accuse Russia, which has massed troops on Ukraine's borders, of preparing an attack, with US President Joe Biden saying he is "convinced" that Vladimir Putin had decided to invade Ukraine.
Denis Pushilin claimed that the forces of his region had thwarted attacks fomented according to him by Kiev, and accused the Ukrainian army of continuing to attack the region.
"Together we will achieve the desired and necessary victory. We will protect Donbass and all the Russian people," the separatist leader added.
Kiev has denied wanting to regain control of separatist regions by force, including Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014. The conflict between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 14,000 lives since 2014 .