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Shelling continues in eastern Ukraine, with each side blaming the other. Washington accuses Moscow of reinforcing its troops and the threat of sanctions.
In Donetsk, violence escalated further between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels.
REUTERS
Fears of a Russian military intervention in Ukraine were further accentuated on Friday, with the multiplication of clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, a scenario of “provocations”, according to the United States. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken denounced the implementation of “a scenario” of “provocations” designed by the Russians, with a view to justifying an attack on Ukraine, after two days of clashes which led the secessionist authorities to order the evacuation of civilians.
“Russia has 190,000 men on the outskirts of Ukraine and on its territory, including the separatist forces in Lugansk and Donetsk.”
His Defense counterpart, Lloyd Austin, said the Russian military was sending “more forces” and preparing for an intervention “by moving closer to the border, positioning troops, increasing their logistical capabilities”. On Friday, an American official estimated that Russia had 190,000 troops on the outskirts of Ukraine and on its territory, including the separatist forces in Lugansk and Donetsk. Until then, they were talking about 150,000 at the country’s borders.
Virtual meeting
While, all day, the belligerents have accused each other of violating a truce and using heavy weapons, the American president, Joe Biden, must join, this Friday, the leaders of several European countries, NATO and of the European Union for a virtual meeting.
“All Kyiv has to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbass separatists and come to an agreement.”
His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of fueling the conflict and noted a “worsening of the situation in the Donbass”, a region where the Ukrainian army has been fighting pro-Russian forces supported by Moscow for eight years. “All Kyiv has to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbass separatists and come to an agreement.” Russia denies any plan of invasion but demands guarantees for its security, such as the withdrawal of NATO from Eastern Europe, so many demands rejected by the West.
“Devastating” sanctions brandished
The West unanimously promised Russia devastating economic sanctions if it attacked Ukraine. A threat once again brushed aside by Vladimir Putin on Friday: “Sanctions will be introduced, whatever happens. Whether there is a reason or not, they will find one, because their aim is to slow down the development of Russia,” he said.
In the afternoon, shelling was still heard in Stanitsa Luganska, a city under Ukrainian control. She had already been hit the day before by shots which notably hit a nursery school.
Civilians evacuated in the east
The leader of the self-proclaimed separatist republic of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, for his part announced an evacuation of civilians to Russia, “in the first place women, children and the elderly”. His counterpart from the neighboring “republic” of Lugansk, Leonid Passechnik, did the same, before calling on “all men capable of holding a weapon to defend their homeland”.
Russia, for its part, again affirmed on Friday that it was proceeding with the withdrawal of military units from the outskirts of Ukraine. “That is not happening,” however, declared Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov before the deputies.
For the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels, ceasefire violations numbered in the dozens on Friday, but no side reported deaths along the several hundred kilometer front line. The conflict has claimed more than 14,000 lives since 2014.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported a significant increase in shootings, with 189 violations of the ceasefire in the Donetsk region on Thursday, against 24 on Wednesday. In the Lugansk region, 402 violations were reported, compared to 129. The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, accused the OSCE of bias, accusing it of “softening the points that show the guilt of the Ukrainian armed forces” . The peace agreements signed in 2015 in Minsk had enabled the establishment of a ceasefire and a considerable drop in clashes, but sporadic violence still erupts regularly.
(AFP)