LUHANSK. Feb 18 (Interfax) - The leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Leonid Pasechnik, has urged residents to leave and instructed his government to ensure evacuation to Russia.
"To prevent civilian casualties, I am calling on the residents of the republics who do not have mobilization orders and are not involved in operating social and civilian infrastructure, to depart as soon as possible to the Russian Federation," Pasechnik said in a statement on Friday.
He instructed local heads, law enforcement and emergency services to organize the evacuation of social facilities and take people to the checkpoints.
"The Russian Federation is ready to ensure organized reception and accommodation of LPR residents on its territory," Pasechnik said.
It was reported that the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) expected to evacuate several hundred people to Rostov region.