The leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, signed this Saturday the general mobilization decree amid attacks by the Ukrainian military.
“I urge my compatriots who are in the reserves to go to the military registration and enlistment offices,” Pushilin said in a recorded statement. “I appeal to all the men of the republic who can bear arms to defend their families, their children, their wives and their mothers. Together we will achieve the victory that we all want and need,” he asserted.
The Donbas People's Militia was formed by Pavel Gubarev, who was elected "People's Governor" of Donetsk Oblast. The Luhansk People's Militia was later formed soon after in the Luhansk Oblast. It was originally involved in taking control of Ukrainian government buildings in the oblast.
Tensions increased to the point of the militia being actively involved in fighting a war against the Ukrainian government in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The militia was accused by the Ukrainian government of culpability in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July 2014, but the Donetsk People's Republic disputed this claim.
The militias of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic merged on 16 September 2014, forming the "United Armed Forces of Novorossiya".
It is widely believed that the separatists are supported by the Russian Armed Forces. Ukraine, the United States, and some analysts consider 1st and 2nd Army Corps to be Russian formations under the command of the 8th Combined Arms Army, which was formed up in 2017, in Novocherkassk, Rostov oblast.
Although the Russian government often denies direct involvement, stating that their soldiers were there voluntarily and not under orders, some of them were captured with documents that said otherwise. The separatists have admitted receiving supplies from Russia and being trained there.
BBC reported that separatist ranks are composed of thousands of Russian citizens. DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko claimed in August 2014 that there are around 3,000 to 4,000 Russian volunteers fighting for the militia, which includes current and many retired Russian Army servicemen.
Since September 2015, the separatist units, at the battalion level and up, are acting under direct command of Russian Army officers, with former local commanders sometimes serving as their deputies.
Spiking tensions in eastern Ukraine are heightening Western fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying he’s “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade.
NATO countries fear that the volatile east, which has seen intense shelling in recent days and orders for civilians to evacuate, could be a flashpoint in their tensest standoff with Russia since the Cold War, providing the Kremlin with a pretext to invade Ukraine.
The United States upped its estimate of Russian troops for a possible invasion to as many as 190,000. Russia also plans to hold military exercises Saturday, including multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in a display of military might.
The United States and its European partners are keeping on with their strategy of diplomacy and deterrence, offering to keep talking with the Kremlin while threatening heavy sanctions if an invasion happens.
