Ukrainian military officials shelled during tour of separatist conflict zone - Metro.co.uk

A Ukrainian soldier looks at a hole from a shell fired by pro-Russian separatists (Picture: AP)

Top Ukrainian military officials came under a shelling attack during a tour of the front of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.

They were forced to flee to a bomb shelter before escaping the area, which has become a focal point of growing tensions with Russia.

Earlier today pro-Moscow separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilisation amid a spike of violence in the war-torn region.

The West is growing increasingly concerned that Vladimir Putin might use the strife as a pretext for an invasion, as Russia tests its nuclear-capable missiles.

Ukraine and the two regions held by the Moscow-backed rebels each accused the other of escalation.

An explosion last night at a gas pipeline near Luhansk and a car bomb in Donetsk, both rebel held cities, were blamed by the Kremlin as attacks on Russian-loyalists.

But Ukraine and the West fears these explosions could have been staged as part of a ‘false flag’ operation to justify an attack.

Ukrainian Army general Mykhailo Dropaty shows a shell fragment after today’s attack (Picture: AP)

A soldier looks out of a shelter in the centre of the village of Novoluhanske, Luhansk region (Picture: AP)

A spike of violence in the region could be used as a pretext for a Russian invasion, Ukraine and the West fears (Picture: Reuters)

Smoke and flames rise over a field during joint Russian and Belarusian military drills (Picture: AP)

It is feared Russia is running a ‘false flag’ operation leading to an attack of Ukraine (Picture: Reuters)

The car bomb explosion came just hours after separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine announced a mass ‘evacuation’ of its civilians to Russia.

Russia today said at least two shells fired from a government-held part of eastern Ukraine landed across the border.

But Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claim as ‘a fake statement’.

The country’s military said shelling killed a soldier early Saturday in the government-held part of the Donetsk region and that separatist forces were placing artillery in residential areas to try to provoke a response.

Denis Pushilin, head of the pro-Russian separatist government in the Donetsk region, released a statement on Saturday announcing a full troop mobilisation and urging reservists to show up at military enlistment offices.

More: Russia

A similar announcement quickly followed from Leonid Pasechnik, separatist leader in the Luhansk region.

Mr Pushilin cited an ‘immediate threat of aggression’ from Ukrainian forces, accusations that Ukrainian officials vehemently denied earlier.

He said: ‘I appeal to all the men in the republic who can hold weapons to defend their families, their children, wives, mothers. Together we will achieve the coveted victory that we all need.’

The announcement came as a mass evacuation of women, children and the elderly from the rebel-held territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to neighbouring Russia got under way.

US president Joe Biden said yesterday he is now ‘convinced’ his Russian counterpart Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and assault the capital, Kiev.

A crater is left in the ground after this afternoon’s shell attack (Picture: AP)

Ukrainian soldiers had to hide in a shelter during the blitz (Picture: AP)

A Russian Iskander-K missile is launched as part of the country’s high-profile training exercises (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

Military drills are being held across the Ukrainian border for several weeks, fuelling fears of an imminent attack (Picture: AP)

Russia denies plans to invade but has demanded legal guarantees that Ukraine is never allowed to join NATO (Picture: AP)

After weeks of saying the US was not sure if Putin had made the final decision, Biden said that his judgment had changed, citing American intelligence.

Reiterating that the assault could occur in the ‘coming days’, he said: ‘As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision. We have reason to believe that.’

Russia has continually denied any plans to attack Ukraine, insisting that its troops were only there to carry out military drills.

However President Vladimir Putin has demanded legal guarantees that its neighbour is never allowed to join NATO.

The Russian leader feels the defensive alliance has expanded far too eastwards and poses a threat to Moscow.

He worries that if Ukraine became a member, it would have the military power to take back Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

Putin has insisted that troops are slowly withdrawing now their exercises have finished, but both Western leaders said they have seen ‘no evidence’ of this.

After weeks of holding out, yesterday it emerged the UK’s ambassador to Ukraine was relocating from Kiev to the western city of Liviv amid fears of an imminent attack.

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2022-02-19 15:13:00Z
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