On February 17, the breakaway governments in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions began spreading claims of a massive Ukrainian artillery attack on the territories they control. The leaders of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk "people's republics" used these claims not only to evacuate women and children into Russia but also to implement a universal conscription policy among men between 18 and 55 for "the protection of the Donbas and of all Russian people." On February 23 and 24, the self-proclaimed republics reported a successful military recruitment campaign that allegedly brought in many new volunteer troops. However, local residents told Meduza that soldiers are conducting raids to sweep the streets for potential conscripts.