The Ukrainian army says one soldier has been killed in the eastern region of Ukraine in clashes with separatist rebel forces, news agency AFP reported. “As a result of a shelling attack, one Ukrainian soldier received a fatal shrapnel wound,” Ukraine military said in a statement.
The sudden escalation in the eastern areas of Ukraine have intensified fears that a Russian invasion is imminent. The separatists are heavily backed by Russia and leaders of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic also have started evacuating citizens to Moscow with Russian president Putin even announcing economic doles to ‘refugees’, news agencies TASS and Interfax reported.
The attacks also further highlight US’ nature of warnings from earlier this week when it warned that Russia may stage a false flag operation to show that Ukraine is the aggressor to find a pretext to go ahead with its alleged plans of invasion of Ukraine. The US president Joe Biden few hours earlier warned that Kyiv is in the cross hairs of the Russian army.
The announcement comes after reports surfaced that a ceasefire agreed upon by the rebel armies of these regions and the Ukrainian armed forces have been violated. Shelling has been going on in eastern Ukraine since Thursday and late on Friday two blasts were reported. It remains unclear as to who instigated the skirmish as rebel armies of both regions and Ukraine blame each other for the escalation. The separatist leaders claim that
The leaders of Ukraine’s separatist regions in the east have announced that they have introduced general mobilisation. The leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin urged people in Donetsk to come to military conscription offices.
“Urge my fellow citizens who are in the reserves to come to military conscription offices. Today I signed a decree on general mobilisation. Together, we will achieve for all of us the victory we desire and need. We will protect Donbas and all Russian people,” Pushilin was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. The head of the Luhansk People’s Republic, the adjoining separatist controlled region in eastern Ukraine, also made a similar plea to its citizens. “”I rule to declare a general mobilisation on the territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic,” said the decree signed by leader Leonid Pasechnik.
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