Ukraine Defense Min appeals to Donbass citizens to not be complicit in Russian aggression

Amid the ravaging conflict between Kremlin and Kyiv, Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has appealed to the citizens of the disputed regions-- Donostek and Luhansk to not be complicit in the inhumane crimes of the Russian invaders. Apart from the citizens of Donbas, he also appealed to the nationals in Makiivka, Horlivka, Yenakijeve, Alchevsk, Chervonyi Luch, Krasnodon and other cities to not support the invading Russian forces, citing the latter's war of crime. Taking to Facebook, Reznikov penned a lengthy post wherein he reiterated his plea before the Russian troops to not heed the orders of their leader Vladimir Putin and appealed to assist in restoring peace in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Defense Minister also anticipated that the death toll in the disputed region would reach nearly a thousand if Russia does not halt the invasion with immediate effect. "The Kremlin has started a full-scale war under the guise that you “need to be protected”. You know better than I do what this “protection” really turned out to be," Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

"Now only for Ukraine as a whole, but for you personally. For your loved ones and neighbours. You know better than I do that in these three weeks of escalation, hundreds of people were killed in your cities. Ordinary people that were dragged out of factories and mines were handed a rifle and thrown under the bullets," he further added.

Over 2,000 Ukrainian civilians were slain in war

It is pertinent to mention here that Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill-intention to invade Ukraine. Until then, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called his Russian counterpart to meet him, seeking a resolution to avert the war. However, on February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine, resulting in the heavy shelling and killing of more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians-- a claim which has been fluctuating ever since the onset of the ongoing war. "We still consider you citizens of Ukraine. We consider you our own. If you have not committed crimes - you are safe," Reznikov told residents of ORDLO. 

Image: Facebook/AP