Original Russian-language document. Decree No. 29 of Denis Pushilin, Head of the Donetsk People's Republic. Signed and issued 19 February 2022, five days before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Sourced from the DPR legislative portal. This document also appears in the archive "mobilisation martial law" alongside the RF Federal Law No. 423-FZ (DOC-121); a single catalogue entry is maintained here. The parallel LPR general mobilisation decree was issued simultaneously.
Decree No. 29 of the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin, signed on 19 February 2022, declares general mobilisation across the entirety of DPR-controlled territory. The decree cites "increased military aggression of Ukraine" as justification, orders all conscription-age male citizens to report to military commissariats, and instructs government bodies and enterprises to implement wartime operating procedures. The decree was issued simultaneously with a parallel general mobilisation order by the Head of the Luhansk People's Republic. The timing — five days before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — positions this decree as a coordinated element of the pre-invasion sequence, providing the legal basis for calling up the DPR People's Militia and integrating it into Russian Armed Forces operations. The statutory basis for the decree is the DPR Law on Mobilisation Preparation and Mobilisation (Law No. 10-INs; see DOC-106). The DPR People's Militia was subsequently absorbed into the Russian Armed Forces' Southern Military District grouping.
If the document does not display in your browser, click here to open the PDF directly.
Decree No. 29 of the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic
On the Conduct of General Mobilisation. 19 February 2022.
In connection with the increased military aggression of Ukraine against the Donetsk People's Republic, guided by Article 59 of the Constitution of the Donetsk People's Republic, Article 4 of the Law of the Donetsk People's Republic "On Mobilisation Preparation and Mobilisation in the Donetsk People's Republic" —
I DECREE:
- To conduct general mobilisation in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic.
- The Ministry of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Donetsk People's Republic, and other power structures of the Donetsk People's Republic shall ensure fulfilment of mobilisation tasks in accordance with established mobilisation plans.
- The People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Council of Ministers of the Donetsk People's Republic, republican executive bodies of state authority, bodies of local self-government of the Donetsk People's Republic, organisations, and citizens shall fulfil the duties assigned to them by the legislation of the Donetsk People's Republic on mobilisation preparation and mobilisation.
- This Decree enters into force from the moment of its signing.
Head of the Donetsk People's Republic — D.V. Pushilin
19 February 2022, Donetsk
Analytical note
The five-day gap between this decree (19 February) and Russia's full-scale invasion (24 February 2022) indicates coordinated pre-invasion preparation. The legal chain — DPR Mobilisation Law (DOC-106) → DPR Military Duty Law (DOC-105) → this Decree (DOC-108) — demonstrates that the DPR's legislative architecture was designed to activate military resources on Russian instruction. The decree's invocation of "Ukrainian aggression" as justification mirrors the framing used by Putin in his 21 February 2022 address recognising the DPR and LPR as independent states and in the 24 February 2022 declaration of the "special military operation."