KYIV, Ukraine — The Russian-backed leader of a separatist-controlled area of eastern Ukraine said Friday that officials there were launching a mass evacuation of civilians into neighboring Russia, citing the threat of military action in the region by Ukrainian troops.
An exodus from Ukraine into Russia, which could not immediately be confirmed, would be seen as a signal that major military activities are imminent.
Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in Ukraine’s Donbas region, said in a video address that Russia had agreed to accept residents of the region and that checkpoints and border crossings were ready to speed their movement.
“First of all, women, children and the elderly are subject to evacuation,” Pushilin said. “By agreement with the leadership of the Russian Federation, places to take in and accommodate our citizens are ready…
