RTFri, 18 Feb 2022 19:23 UTC
© Brendan Hoffman / Getty ImagesUkrainian tanks near Debaltsevo, February 19, 2015
A massive explosion in the center of Donetsk on Friday evening was the work of
a car bomb that detonated outside the government headquarters, the authorities in the breakaway region in eastern Ukraine have said.
Multiple reports of the blast came shortly after both Donetsk and Lugansk, the two regions that seceded from Ukraine in 2014, announced an
evacuation of civilians into Russia, fearing an attack by the Ukrainian military.
RT correspondent Roman Kosarev, who is on the ground in Donetsk to report on the evacuation, has also confirmed that he heard the explosion.
Images from the scene show a completely destroyed car in the parking lot about 100 meters or so outside the seat of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, with significant damage to other vehicles nearby.
The targeted vehicle
belonged to the head of the DPR People's Militia, Denis Sinenkov, who told Interfax that he was not injured in the blast.
Tensions are currently running high in eastern Ukraine, as the two breakaway regions - known colloquially as Donbass - allege the
government in Kiev is planning a military operation to take their territory by force. They cite a sharp increase in incidents along the armistice line, including the use of artillery, mortars, and tanks by the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine has been denying any plans to take the regions by force.Meanwhile, the US and NATO have accused Russia of intending to invade Ukraine,
though their predicted start date of February 16 came and went without incident. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the accusations as 'fake news'.
Both sides have accused the other of planning a 'false flag' attack to create a pretext for a military operation. The authorities in Donetsk are asking residents to remain calm, stay on alert, and limit movement around the city as much as they can.
Comment: The head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin,
told Russian media today:
"Kiev can start a full-scale assault on Donbass at any moment, the situation is critical," Pushilin told Russian television, referring to the two self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine.
Asked by the host if there will be a war, Pushilin responded: "Yes. Unfortunately, yes."
His comments came about an hour after an explosion outside the Donetsk government building, which turned out to be a car bomb targeting regional police chief Denis Sinenkov. He was not injured in the blast. There were no reports of casualties, only material damage.
Pushilin called the bombing a "sabotage" in preparation for an assault by Kiev. Every critical infrastructure building in Donetsk is under guard and prepared for potential terrorist attack, he added. Ukraine has been denying any plans for attacking the breakaway regions.
The U.S. and NATO have been itching for a war in Eastern Ukraine. All the fear-mongering about a "Russian invasion" has been prep work to condition the world to see any escalation as Russian aggression, not NATO or Ukrainian aggression. In reality, if a war breaks, it will have been started by Ukraine and their allies, who would like nothing more than for Russia to initiate the war. And they have their bases covered. A Ukrainian attack will be framed as a "Russian false flag" used as a pretext for Russia to get involved. Whatever ends up happening, however, you can bet that Western authorities will be lying through their teeth.
Comment: The head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, told Russian media today: The U.S. and NATO have been itching for a war in Eastern Ukraine. All the fear-mongering about a "Russian invasion" has been prep work to condition the world to see any escalation as Russian aggression, not NATO or Ukrainian aggression. In reality, if a war breaks, it will have been started by Ukraine and their allies, who would like nothing more than for Russia to initiate the war. And they have their bases covered. A Ukrainian attack will be framed as a "Russian false flag" used as a pretext for Russia to get involved. Whatever ends up happening, however, you can bet that Western authorities will be lying through their teeth.