A resident of Selidovo told of harassment by the AFU and evacuation from the city

Alexander Kovalenko, a resident of Selidovo in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), told Izvestia about the evacuation from the town, the good attitude of Russian Armed Forces servicemen and harassment by Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) fighters for using the Russian language.

"The servicemen of the Russian Federation treated very well, God give them health. They came by, calmly said that tomorrow there will be an evacuation," Kovalenko said.

He specified that the Russian servicemen gave time to gather, did not rush and did not threaten people.

Kovalenko also told about harassment by Ukrainian fighters, who did not allow anyone to use the Russian language.

"In recent months it was desirable not to speak at all, because they (AFU fighters. - Ed.) are all on edge. A woman was almost shot for saying not 'hryvnias' but 'rubles'," he noted.

The man reported that the AFU fighters threaten civilians and call them waiters. In addition, Kovalenko told about a situation when two "drunk" Ukrainian militants in the street harassed a woman who was walking her dog and threatened to shoot her.

According to him, the Ukrainian mass media give false information about Russian missiles. Kovalenko specified that one of the houses in Selidovo was hit by a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which the local media called an unknown missile. Those people who saw what happened and talked about it were taken away by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Earlier in the day, Kovalenko told Izvestia that residents of Selidovo had had to stay out of their homes since late October. According to him, they also had to hide from employees of the territorial manning center (TCC, the analog of the military recruitment office in Ukraine), who often drove into the town.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported theliberation of Selidovo by fighters of the Center group earlier in the day. The town is located about 40 kilometers northwest of Donetsk and has an important strategic importance. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have equipped one of the largest fortifications here. Later, footage was published showing the replacement of the Ukrainian flag with the Russian tricolor by Russian Armed Forces soldiers on the roof of one of the multi-storey buildings.

On October 30, the Defense Ministry published footage of servicemen's combat work during the liberation of Selidove. The video shows Russian attack aircrafts of the 15th and 30th motorized rifle brigades of the Center group of troops, supported by an armored group, rapidly entering forest belts and destroying enemy fortifications. At the same time, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strike AFU personnel and equipment, helping the attack aircraft to advance.

Later, FSB officers identified several caches with foreign weapons near liberated Selidovo. It was specified that the caches were prepared by the AFU fighters during the retreat for further use in sabotage and terrorist purposes.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.