On February 18, 2022, authorities in the DPR and LPR announced a significant intensification of shelling and an imminent threat of a Ukrainian military invasion, prompting the evacuation of elderly people, women, and children to Russia.
RIA Novosti described who was being evacuated first, how the process was unfolding, and how Russia was receiving evacuees: “Evacuation from Donbass to Russia will continue through the night. Many buses in Donetsk were pulled from regular routes to carry evacuees… Most of those leaving the self-proclaimed DPR are women and children. Men are staying behind.”
TASS detailed ongoing shelling, the decision to evacuate, financial aid for refugees, and Russia and Ukraine’s positions: “The situation along the line of contact in eastern Ukraine escalated on Thursday morning — Donetsk and Lugansk officials reported that shelling by Ukrainian Armed Forces was the most intense in recent months.”
Vesti.ru featured testimonies from Donbass residents fleeing the shelling: “There was heavy shelling yesterday, and again today, so we decided to leave. We hope to return.”
RT Russian continuously posted updates on evacuation decisions in the DPR and LPR, as well as the flow of vehicles heading to Russia and the first evacuees arriving in Rostov Region.
Izvestia summed up the day: “By February 18, Donbass found itself on the brink of the most intense escalation in eight years. Amid a sharp increase in shelling and provocations, DPR and LPR authorities were forced to announce the evacuation of civilians to Russia.”
Interfax reported on the unfolding evacuation: “In the DPR, it was decided to evacuate women, children, and the elderly to Russian territory.” They also cited LPR statements: “To prevent casualties among civilians, I urge residents of the republics who do not have mobilization orders and are not involved in essential infrastructure to leave for Russia as soon as possible,” said LPR head Leonid Pasechnik.
Donetsk News Agency (DAN) reported on the start of the evacuation in the DPR, offered a photo report of the process, and relayed the Ministry of Emergency Situations’ announcement of 24/7 evacuation.
Lugansk Information Center published Pasechnik’s full evacuation statement and reported on Russian support for refugees: “President Putin spoke by phone with Acting Emergency Minister Alexander Chupriyan and instructed him to fly to Rostov Region to oversee arrangements for accommodation, hot meals, medical aid, and other necessities for evacuees. The president also ordered that each person arriving from Donbass be granted 10,000 rubles.”
LIC also tracked evacuation developments from various towns throughout the day, including this moment: “The first 55 people board a bus at the Lugansk bus station for evacuation.”
The Guardian mentioned the evacuation in passing while focusing on tensions at the front: “On Friday, authorities called for evacuation to Russia—reportedly in anticipation of a Ukrainian attack, but more likely as a pretext for a Russian strike.” Another piece focused on how poorly Russia received Donbass refugees: “‘All you can do is cry’: Evacuees from Donbass face an uncertain future in Russia. Border regions were unprepared for the arrival of hundreds of people from separatist-controlled areas of Ukraine.”
The New York Times framed the evacuation as a Russian pretext for invasion: “Tensions escalated in the region when Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine called for mass evacuation on Friday, claiming that Ukrainian government forces were about to attack. Western officials denounced the move as Russia’s latest attempt to create a justification for invasion.”
Le Figaro focused on the timeline of events: “Clues suggest that the two videos of separatist leaders announcing evacuations were filmed days earlier, pointing to a planned scenario rather than a spontaneous response to the frontline escalation.”
La Repubblica offered real-time updates and noted: “15:26 — Evacuation of civilians begins from pro-Russian territories. Authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk have organized mass evacuations to Russia starting today.”
Martí Noticias presented Western skepticism: “Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine announced on Friday that they planned to evacuate civilians from conflict zones into Russia—an unexpected turn in the crisis, which Western officials say could be used as a pretext for a Russian invasion.”
Deutsche Welle (Spanish edition) briefly reported: “Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk order civilian evacuation to Russia.”
Rzeczpospolita cited online investigators: “Leaders of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR reportedly recorded their evacuation announcements two days before publication, as indicated by metadata in the videos.”
UNIAN quoted the Ukrainian president’s office: “It’s obvious that the occupiers are doing everything to provoke our forces into large-scale action, in order to use that as a justification for Russia’s own aggressive behavior or escalation.”
Ukrainska Pravda reported: “The heads of the so-called ‘ORDLO’ have declared mass evacuation to Russia. The evacuation from ORDLO is being organized to Russia’s Rostov Region. President Vladimir Putin has ordered that each person arriving from ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ receive a 10,000-ruble payment.”
Author · Apr 10, 2025
