From RT
February 18, 2022
Ukrainian armed forces are planning a breakthrough into the territory of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic, the head of the breakaway region, Leonid Pasechnik, alleged on Friday. He provided no specific evidence for his assertion.
A short time earlier, the leadership of the neighboring Donetsk People’s Republic called on civilians to evacuate to Russia in light of anticipated military aggression by Ukrainian forces.
“Contrary to common sense and international agreements, the adversary continues to concentrate manpower and heavy equipment along the entire line of contact. By this moment, an impressive strike force has been formed by the adversary. According to the intelligence data, the Ukrainian aggressor plans to carry out not only provocations on the line of contact, but a breakthrough deep into our republic’s territory,” Pasechnik said in his address to the Lugansk People’s Republic residents.
He also called on civilians to move to Russian territory “as soon as possible,” adding that Russian authorities are prepared to “ensure organized reception and to provide accommodation on its territory” for the Lugansk People’s Republic’s residents.
“I instruct the leaders of the territories, law enforcement agencies and emergency services to ensure an organized evacuation of social objects and to help the population get to border checkpoints,” he added…
https://www.rt.com/russia/549887-ukarine-lugansk-breakthrough-evacuation/
From Donetsk News Agency
Western Donetsk under heavy fire: 50 projectiles explode in 35 minutes
Donetsk, Feb 17 – DAN. Western Donetsk has come under heavy Ukrainian fire on Friday, the DPR Mission to the JCCC said.
The shelling incidents were reported from 11.47 a.m. until 12.22 p.m., the total of 46 mortar and grenade launcher rounds hit the city. The fire originated from the direction of Krasnogorovka.
The DPR has been under attack since 5.30 a.m. today, a wide range of weapons is used. *ot
Ukrainian saboteurs attempted to explode fuel depot in Elenovka
Donetsk, Feb 17 – DAN. Ukrainian special operations forces planned to blow up an oil depot in Elenovka, DPR People’s Militia deputy commander Eduard Basurin said on Friday.
“This night, a saboteur squad of the Vostok Special Operations Center attempted to infiltrate the DPR in the Elenovka area to blow up fuel tanks, that supposedly contained fuel. Massive catastrophic consequences have been averted thanks to the prompt reaction of law enforcement forces, who followed up a phone call made by a guard of the depot and prevented the terrorist attack,” he said.
All the related data will be passed to international organizations and the Prosecutor General’s Office of the DPR to launch a criminal investigation. *ot
https://dan-news.info/en/defence/ukrainian-saboteurs-attempted-to-explode-fuel-depot-in-elenovka/
Kiev forces shell nine Donbass settlement areas
Donetsk, Feb 17 – DAN. Ukrainian armed formations delivered strikes at the areas of nine settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics within two hours on Thursday morning, expending some 160 rounds of ammunition of calibre over 12.7mm, the DPR Office at the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) said.
The strikes were delivered between 5:32 and 7:42 at the areas of of the following settlements: Kominternovo, Oktyabr, Novolaspa and Petrovskoye in the DPR and Veselenkoye, Donetsky, Zolotoye-5, Nizhneye Lozovoye and Sokolniki in the LPR. The enemy used 120mm and 82mm mortars (expending 67 rounds overall), grenade launchers (90 rounds) and high calibre small arms, the JCCC said.
The package of tighter ceasefire control measures has been formally in effect in Donbass since July 27, 2020. The document bans, among other things, the use of weapons, deployment of hardware next to settlements and engineer works at troops’ positions. Tensions in Donbass mounted after the New Year and Christmas holidays. *jk
https://dan-news.info/en/defence/kiev-forces-shell-nine-donbass-settlement-areas/