People in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, will be evacuated to Russia, the area’s leader has said, writes BBC.

Denis Pushilin, who is head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), announced on social media that Russia had agreed to provide accommodation for people leaving.

Women, children and the elderly should be evacuated first, he added.

There was no immediate comment from Russian officials or from Kyiv, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has strongly denied “propaganda reports” that the army is planning an offensive.