The authorities of the unrecognized republics of Donbass began to report sabotage by Ukraine in mid-February after another escalation of the conflict.
On February 18, the heads of the DPR and LPR Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik announced the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and began evacuation residents of the republics to Russia. On the same day, the car of police chief Denis Sinenkov exploded in the parking lot near the DPR government building. In addition, two explosions occurred on a gas pipeline in Lugansk. The representative of “Luganskgaz” stated that their cause was sabotage.
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Kiev accused the LNR of shelling Lugansk
Kiev has repeatedly rejected the accusations of the DPR and LPR authorities of preparing a military operation in the Donbass. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said that reports of an alleged attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and “forceful scenarios for the liberation of temporarily occupied territories” are not true. According to him, the civilian population is used to “unleash another bloodshed.”
Zaluzhny also announced the preparation of provocations in the Donbass. “In the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russian professional military and special services are preparing terrorist attacks, the victims of which should be civilians,” declared is he.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly stressed that they are not preparing for aggression against Ukraine. Accusations of preparing provocations are unfounded, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “Until now, all these statements have not been confirmed by anything,” he said.