A man near a residential building in the Kievsky district of Donetsk, damaged by shellingDONETSK, Mar 1 Ukrainian troops shelled Donetsk with 122-mm shells, which are prohibited by the Minsk agreements, reports the representative office of the Donetsk People's Republic in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC). : five shells of 122 mm caliber were fired,» the mission's Telegram channel says. In recent weeks, the situation in Donbass has escalated: Kyiv has concentrated most of its army on the line of contact and is regularly shelling the DPR and LPR, using prohibited equipment. Due to the threat of Ukraine's invasion, the DPR and LPR began the evacuation of women, children and the elderly to Russian regions. A general mobilization was announced. In this situation, on February 19, the leaders of the republics turned to Russia with a request to recognize their independence. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, which had declared their independence from Kyiv back in 2014, and early in the morning on February 24, Russia began military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. In a televised address to fellow citizens, Putin said that circumstances “require decisive and immediate action,” as the Donbass republics asked for help. According to the Russian leader, the entire responsibility for the bloodshed will be on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine. /2022/03/ffd915782518b5ac997bdaedfb2f95a1.jpg» />Disarm and defuse: demilitarization of Ukraine
