The troops of the DPR, advancing in the direction of the settlement of Volnovakha, have advanced 7 kilometers, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said on Thursday.
“The grouping of troops of the Donetsk People’s Republic, advancing in the direction of the settlement of Volnovakha, advanced to a depth of 7 kilometers. During the hostilities, 14 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrendered. After taking a subscription from them to renounce armed resistance, all of them will be released to their families,” – he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that he had decided on a special military operation against Ukraine. In a televised address to the Russians, he said that the circumstances “require decisive and immediate action from us, the people’s republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help.” Putin said that the entire responsibility for the bloodshed would be on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine, and called on the Ukrainian military not to follow the criminal orders of the Ukrainian authorities, lay down their arms and go home.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Russian Armed Forces do not carry out any missile, air or artillery strikes on the cities of Ukraine. According to the agency, military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airfields, aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are disabled by high-precision weapons. The ministry clarified that nothing threatens the civilian population.