Stock Groups

More shelling reported in Ukraine as Blinken warns invasion imminent

[ad_1]

An activist of the Luhansk People’s Republic inspects the damage to a school in Luhansk, Ukraine. It is located close to the boundary with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the settlement Molodizhne. (Molodezhnoye), in the Luhansk Region. February 17, 2022.

Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

Russian media controlled by the Russian government made fresh allegations of ceasefire violations in Ukraine’s east border area on Friday.

a statement on FacebookAccording to the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation, 20 ceasefire violations were reported in eastern Ukraine as of Friday morning at 9 AM local time.

According to the JFO, 15 violations were attributed to the misuse of weapons that are prohibited under the Minsk Agreements, which Russia and Ukraine signed in 2014/2015 in order prevent war in Ukraine. There were no deaths.

Ukraine claimed separatist forces had “placed their artillery system near residential buildings.” The JFO stated that the United Forces “control the situation” and would respond to any threats from the enemy.

RIA, a Russian state-controlled media agency is still in operation. claimed on FridayThe Ukrainian government had conducted three strikes on Russian-backed separatists.

CNBC could not verify the reports. On Thursday, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (“OSCE”) stated that both reports were untrue. its mission in Ukraine had reportedNearly 600 ceasefire violations occurred in Donetsk-Luhansk region, which is substantially more than the reported 153 violations during the prior period.

Since the beginning of time, the eastern part of Ukraine has seen low-level fighting. It is located near the Russian border. Over the course of the eight-year conflict in Ukraine, approximately 13,000 persons have died and the OSCE reported numerous violations to the cease-fire.

According to reports, Russian officials circulated a document during the U.N. Council meeting on Thursday. Reuters reportedThey made claims that war crimes were committed in Ukraine and accuse the Ukrainian government “of exterminating the civilian population in the east”.

According to Reuters, a U.S. official referred to these accusations as “categorically falsified.”

The attack came just after Russian media and the Ukrainian government made contradictory claims about the shelling strike on Thursday. A school in east Ukraine was also hit by missiles.

U.S. warned Russia that it could invent false claims including those about conflict in Ukraine as pretexts for an invasion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Also, on Thursday, he stated that the bombing of Eastern Ukraine was “false flag” and meant to discredit Ukrainians. He said that there would be more in the days ahead.

Russia repeatedly denies that it plans to invade Ukraine, even though the country has amassed over 150,000 soldiers, military hardware, and blood supplies along its border in recent months.

Moscow claims that it has begun withdrawing its soldiers from temporary positions at the Ukraine-Russia border this week. Officials from the West have questioned these claims and said that intelligence suggests more troops joined those at the border recently.

The ‘Moment to Peril’

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary-of-State, warned Thursday at the U.N. Security Council that there is “a time of danger for the lives of millions.”

The U.S. had provided clear evidence that Russian forces planned to attack Ukraine over the following days. He also stated that Moscow was “planning to fabricate a pretext to attack”.

“This could become a violent act that Russia will accuse Ukraine of, or an outrageous charge that Russia will level at the Ukrainian government,” said he, noting the possibility that the Kremlin could use a staged attack against civilians to accomplish this goal.

Blinken also said thatIf Russia invaded Ukraine, it would likely send its soldiers and tanks to attack key targets, including Kyiv (the capital of Kyiv), which is home to 2.8 million people.  

U.S. President Joe BidenOn Friday, leaders from Canada, France and Germany will meet to discuss the Ukraine crisis with their counterparts in NATO, France, Germany.

The meeting between American and Russian officials is expected to take place next week.

Russia demands that Ukraine be excluded from NATO. NATO is the largest military alliance on the planet and Russia wants Ukraine to decrease its involvement in east Europe. These requests were rejected by NATO and the U.S.

 

[ad_2]