Donetsk, Apr 18 – DAN. The Voda Donbassa water company has shut down the Donetsk water treatment plant (DFS) and begun its mothballing.

"While we are trying to reach the station together with the OSCE monitors and engineers, the plant's personnel has begun the process of shutting. The process, including the mothballing, takes two or three hours, the planned time of the halt is 5-6 p.m. The plant seizes operations today in any case, in a scheduled mode or not, but it will halt operation," the water company representative told DAN.

The DFS staff evacuation operation began earlier today.

Ukrainian forces opened fire on a convoy carrying Donetsk Water Treatment Plant (DFS) personnel on Tuesday afternoon, wounding five people.

The company has taken decision to evacuate the remaining personnel from the station, to shut it down and to mothball the facility.

The DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko said that the situation on the DFS, caused by Ukrainian army, is a clear sign of Ukraine's preparation for an offensive. *ot