Kiev, Feby 20 (Agency) Kiev forces have shelled multiple settlements in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) in Ukraine’s southeast (Donbas), including with the use 120-mm caliber mines prohibited by the Minsk agreements, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said A total of twenty 120-mm caliber mines were launched at the settlements of Komunarivka and Staromykhailivka. Twenty five 122-mm caliber shells were fired at the settlement of Petrivske, the DPR authorities said in the early hours of Sunday.
Earlier in the night, the DPR mission said that Kiev forces had fired twelve 120-mm caliber mines at the city of Donetsk and four 122-mm shells at the settlement of Oleksandrivka located in Donetsk suburbs. Several other settlements in DPR were also shelled in the early hours of Sunday using grenades and mines prohibited by the Minsk agreements. There were sounds of explosion and artillery fire coming from outside of Donetsk city center for three hours straight at night. Window glass and frames were rattling in the city’s central Voroshylovskyi District.
The self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic and DPR announced the evacuation of their citizens to Russia’s Rostov Region on Friday over the escalation of tensions on the contact line in southeastern Ukraine and amid fears of an attack by Kiev forces. DPR head Denis Pushilin said on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would soon order Kiev forces to launch an offensive in Donbas, to implement a plan to invade DPR and LPR. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said late on Saturday that the European Union condemns the shelling of civilian areas in southeastern Ukraine (Donbas), but sees no proof that Kiev is preparing an attack against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics.