Russia is busy organizing shelter, food and pocket money for refugees from Ukraine. Priority is given to women, children and the elderly.

Donetsk explosion

A US government spokesman described the evacuations as a “cynical step” in the propaganda battle between Russia and the West. Russia has built up a large military force on the border with Ukraine in recent weeks. There are fears that Russia will invade eastern Ukraine.

In Donetsk, the capital of the Donetsk People’s Republic, a car exploded near the building housing the separatist government earlier in the day. America suspects that the separatists carried out this attack to justify a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

RTL reporter Jeroen Ackermans described the evacuations as a “new escalation” in tensions between Russia and Ukraine. “Putin can soon say: our citizens are no longer safe there, and we must intervene,” he added.

keep the fire high

“The situation does not want to calm down,” Ackermann continues. The separatists hope that Russia will move to eastern Ukraine. It is in their interest to keep the fire burning.

He said the separatists were unlikely to act alone. “I can’t imagine it. This seems to indicate that Russia wants to occupy eastern Ukraine. But it could be a phase. It remains to be seen what the plan is.”

The Ukrainian army has been at war for years with the self-proclaimed republics declared by the rebels. The shelling has intensified in recent days as Russian forces have massed along the Ukrainian border.

The Russian parliament this week asked President Vladimir Putin to recognize the two regions in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine as independent republics. Russia has provided many citizens of this region with Russian passports.