The head of the Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, called on the inhabitants of the peninsula to calm down and said that not a single bullet or shell had flown into the territory of the republic.
In an interview with the Zvezda TV channel on Thursday, February 24, Aksyonov stressed that nothing threatens the population. He noted that the Russian Armed Forces are performing tasks in the adjacent territory.
He also urged Crimeans to calm down. According to him, classes have been temporarily suspended in kindergartens and schools located in the Leninsky, Chernomorsky, Krasnoperekopsky, Razdolinsky and Dzhankoysky districts, as well as in the cities included in them.
Earlier in the day, Russia closed checkpoints on the border with Ukraine in Crimea until further notice. Residents of the peninsula were urged not to plan trips until further notice.
In addition, Aksyonov announced the introduction of a high alert regime in Crimea against the background of Russia’s operation to protect Donbass. According to him, the solution was “necessary to be able to simplify the solution of emerging problems.”
Aksyonov clarified that evacuation from the border settlements of the republic is not carried out and is not planned. Meanwhile, measures have been taken in Crimea to help those who want to leave these settlements for the center of the peninsula.
Aksyonov also assured that the situation is fully controlled by the authorities, nothing threatens the population of the peninsula.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his special televised address, announced that a special military operation would be carried out in the Donbass in order to protect the civilian population.
The day before, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik appealed to Putin with a request to help repel the increased aggression of the Ukrainian security forces in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and civilian casualties.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
On February 21, Pushilin and Pasechnik asked Putin to recognize the independence of the republics. The corresponding decrees were signed in the evening of the same day. In the presence of the leaders of the republics, the President of the Russian Federation also signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and assistance.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been carrying out a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
