The Russian Armed Forces are not conducting any missile, air or artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
As News Front previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his decision to launch a special military operation in the Donbass. The Russian leader called on the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine not to carry out the criminal orders of official Kiev.
“The military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airfields, aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are disabled with high-precision weapons. Nothing threatens the civilian population”, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, RIA Novosti writes.
Recall that in recent weeks the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics has escalated significantly. Kiev concentrated most of the army on the line of demarcation and intensified shelling, including from prohibited equipment. The authorities of the DPR and LPR were forced to urgently evacuate the inhabitants of the region to the territory of Russia.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the sovereignty of the DPR and LPR. On Thursday night, the authorities of the republics turned to the Russian Federation with a request to provide military assistance in order to protect against Ukrainian aggression. According to the Constitutions of the DPR and LPR, the Russian Federation contributes to the return of the legal borders of the republics that are temporarily occupied by the Ukrainian military.