Thursday results in the occupied territories of Donbass. The highlights

In the area of the Joint Forces Operation on February 21, the enemy fired at the positions of our troops 5 times, two of which - with the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, - the press center of the JFO headquarters reported. As a result of the shelling, two servicemen of the Joint Forces were injured.

The so-called "representative office of the DNR in the JCCC" reported on the evening of February 21 a "big loss of water" due to a shell falling into the Siverskyi Donets-Donbass channel. The occupiers traditionally blamed the Ukrainian military, stating that the damage to the conduit occurred "during the shelling of the outskirts of Horlivka in the area of Shumy". "There are no opportunities for approaching the water conduit yet", - the occupiers reported.

Occupation authorities of the "DNR" want to hold a direct dialogue with Kyiv in order to achieve peace in the Donbass. This was stated to separatist media journalists by leader of the "republic" Denis Pushilin. "Donbass has consistently advocated the continuation of negotiations in Minsk, we strongly support the initiative of Ukrainian opposition politicians to intensify negotiations. We express our readiness for negotiations – resuming direct dialogue with Kyiv", – he said.

The "LNR" stated that international organizations, including the UN and OSCE, recognized the fact of existence of the Donbass "republics". This was stated by "Minister of Foreign Affairs of the LNR" Vladislav Danego. As evidence of his words, he recalled that "international organizations are here with us (in the occupied territory of Donbass – OstroV)".

Leader of the "LNR" Leonid Pasechnik stated that the Ukrainian authorities organized the persecution of Ukrainian politicians "advocating peace in the Donbass". This was said in his statement for separatist media journalists. It is revealing that his concern for the fate of individual Ukrainian politicians coincided with the statement of his "colleague" – leader of the "DNR" Denis Pushilin, who practically told the local journalists a few hours earlier that Kyiv "repress opposition politicians". Probably, speaking of "repressed and harassed oppositionists", both ringleaders meant one of the leaders of the Opposition Platform – For Life Viktor Medvedchuk.

Occupation authorities of the "DNR" educate children in the spirit of militarism and readiness to fight against the "fascists" starting from the kindergarten. This follows from the propaganda video, in which preschool children almost unanimously say on camera that when they grow up, they will be soldiers in order to "protect their homeland".

The police in Volnovakha of the Donetsk oblast opened several criminal proceedings in connection with the abduction of a state official from Volnovakha in occupied Makiivka, - the press service of the Volnovakha police department reported. It was noted that on February 19, a message from a 30-year-old woman was received in the Velyka Novosilka police station that her husband, who rode his Honda car in occupied Makiivka, was kidnapped by unknown persons. "The 36-year-old civil servant from Volnovakha (works in the Volnovakha district department of the state enforcement service in the Donetsk oblast as a chief) went to sick relatives in Makiivka where he was taken prisoner and his own Honda was captured", - the report said.