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.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukraine to sit down and negotiate with Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on Friday, citing escalating tensions in the region and calling once more for the implementation of the Minsk peace agreement.
In a news conference in Moscow with Belarusian President Lukashenko, Putin also said that Russia was ready to pursue a “negotiation path” with NATO over its security requirements, but added that “the US-led military alliance in Washington” are not yet in the mood to address Moscow’s key concerns.
The Russian president underlined that his country’s military exercises are “purely defensive and do not threaten anyone”, adding that the joint exercises with Belarus, “which were announced long ago”, will continue until Sunday.
“We discussed in detail our common defence space between Russia and Belarus. We will continue to take steps towards common defence, given the growing presence of NATO on our state border,” Putin said.
Earlier in the day, Russia announced that it was conducting exercises by Russian strategic forces, led by Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, launching ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, amid the crisis between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.
more at rt.com
? Donetsk ve Luhansk bölgelerindeki yetimhane ve okulların tahliyesi başladı. pic.twitter.com/Zjx93r2aFk
— Conflict (@ConflictTR) February 18, 2022
#FLASH—#DONBASS—#DPR civilian evacuation from imminent #Ukraine invasion begins. Video from a #Donetsk orphanage. First to evacuate will be children, women, and the elderly. First busses leave at 20:00. pic.twitter.com/RAf00OXgvU
— Gleb Bazov (@gbazov) February 18, 2022
BREAKING ? Loud sirens are sounding in #Donetsk as civilians evacuate
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 18, 2022
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