Donetsk residents on situation in Ukraine: 'We have to reassure those who are not in Donbas'

While the Russian media and the leaders of the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR" are scaring the residents of the non-Ukraine-controlled part of the Donbass with the threat of a "full-scale offensive from Ukraine" and organize their evacuation, residents of Donetsk told Forum Daily that the real situation in their city is much calmer than in the first years of the war.

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For several days now, Russian officials and the media, echoing Vladimir Putin, call what is happening in the east of Ukraine “genocide” and report on “mass shelling” of settlements in Donbass by Ukraine assuringthat they are a prelude to the inevitable assault on the region by the Ukrainian army. Some, notably a fugitive Ukrainian politician Oleg Tsarev, go even further. They claim that a decision has allegedly been made in Kiev to “clean up the population disloyal to the current authorities.”

«They plan to destroy bloggers, journalists, and public opinion leaders. Lists with addresses and surnames have already been compiled", - assures Tsarev. Recall that almost the same arguments were used by Russia in 2014 in order to convince the residents of Donbass to join the detachments Igor Girkin (Strelkova) and start an armed uprising. However, even after four months of the war, there were no murders and “cleansings” in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and other cities of Donbass liberated by Ukrainian troops.

On the subject: Residents of occupied Donbas evacuated to Russia due to 'threat of attack from Ukraine'

Against the background of statements about the threat of an offensive, the leaders of ORDLO organized the evacuation of residents to Russia. But the American President Joe Biden said, which has accurate data that Russia is preparing a new invasion of Ukraine under the pretext of a genocide in the Donbass, which is falsely claimed by Russian officials.

In favor of Joe Biden's version is the fact that the residents of Donetsk themselves do not feel not only the "genocide", but even a significant aggravation of the situation at the front.

«I live in the center of Donetsk. Everything is heard here, including some light skirmishes. Such skirmishes have been going on for eight years. In some places they are intensifying, moreover, it is clear that this increase is clearly provocative. It remains only to think who arranges these provocations. But it cannot be said that these days there were such shelling as, say, in 2014, 2015 or even 2016.”, - says Maria from Donetsk (name changed).

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According to her, the evacuation is proceeding calmly, there is no particular excitement in this regard. Only those who really want to leave leave. Mobilization is also carried out voluntarily so far, however, single men under 55 years of age are not allowed to leave the “DPR” and are strongly advised to stay on the territory of the unrecognized republic.

«In general, people are calm. On the contrary, we have to reassure those who are outside the Donbass. People are terribly “wounded” by the news, and those who have relatives living here reach a real panic. As a result, we have to call and support them. For example, I had to call an ambulance from Donetsk to my mother in Russia, because her blood pressure rose sharply against the background of the news. The ambulance traveled for a long time, there are not enough cars and doctors. I almost convinced her not to watch the news and spend less energy discussing what was happening with strangers.”, Maria shared.

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