Polina Devitt, Polina Nickolskaya

MOSCOW/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Russia is extending military drills, which are due to conclude on Sunday. The Belarus defense minister stated that this was a further step in increasing pressure on Ukraine.

According to Belarus’ minister, the move was made in response to an increase in Russian military activity close by Belarus’s borders and rising tensions within the Donbass area of eastern Ukraine.

NATO states that Russia could have as many as 30,000 soldiers in Belarus. They may be used by the NATO invasion force against Ukraine. Moscow, however, denies this intention.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, stated in Sunday’s BBC interview that Vladimir Putin may not have been thinking rationally and sanctions might not suffice to stop a Russian invasion.

Johnson explained to BBC that even though sanctions may not deter an immoral actor, it is possible for Vladimir Putin to think illogically and miss the catastrophe ahead. Johnson spoke to BBC.

According to Reuters, explosions were heard at Donetsk in central Russia, a region in eastern Donbass controlled by Russia-backed separatists. Residents of Donetsk were urged to send SMS messages to their men asking them to go to military service.

A buildup of Russia troops, estimated at 150,000, to the north, south and east of Ukraine has prompted several days’ of firefighting in this part of eastern Ukraine. Large parts are under control of Russia-backed separatists.

Russia denied any plans to attack Ukraine. However, Johnson in Britain said that troop deployments suggested Russia was preparing for an invasion.

Johnson stated to the BBC that Johnson was observing a plan for a war that would be the largest in Europe since 1945 in sheer size.

Johnson stated that the United States would try to block Russian companies from accessing dollars and pounds in case of invasion. He said such sanctions “would hit very very hard” but would be more severe than was previously thought.

U.S. President Joe Biden planned to gather his top advisers late in the day as war fears rose. Biden stated that Russia can launch an attack at any moment, despite Kremlin assurances that certain troops are returning to their bases from military exercises.

At the U.N., a Russian diplomat stated that Russia should not know where and when it is to hold military exercises. He also said that U.S. intelligence assessments were untrustworthy, as they had made mistakes in the past.

G7 nations, which include rich countries, said Saturday that foreign ministers had not found any evidence Russia was reducing military activities in the area. They remain gravely concerned about the situation.

Russia ordered the army build-up many months ago, while NATO demanded that Ukraine be prevented from joining NATO. The Russian government denies that Western warnings it intends to invade Ukraine are dangerously hysterical.

But, the warning came with unspecified “military technical” steps if NATO demands are not met.

SELLING IN EAST

Recent tensions have been focused on an area of east Ukraine that Russian-backed rebels took in 2014. This was the year Russia annexed Crimea. Conflict in the east has resulted in more than 14,000 deaths.

According to the Ukrainian military, operations in Ukraine were halted at the Donbass checkpoint due to heavy shelling.

In what the Ukrainian government considered a provocative act, shelling along the lines dividing the government forces from the separatists has increased dramatically in the last week. Allies of the West are worried that Russia may use this escalation to justify a wider conflict.

On Saturday, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four others injured.

Luhansk was one of the rebel areas. Local military forces said that 2 civilians were killed, and 5 buildings had been damaged by shelling from the Ukrainian military. The RIA news agency reported that Russia’s Investigative Committee is going to investigate.

According to the Ukrainian military, it stated in a statement they would adhere to a ceasefire and open fire only when Russian occupation forces are threatening the health and lives of Ukrainian civilians.

Volodymyr Zeleskiy, the President of Ukraine said that Saturday’s reports that it had been shelling separatist areas was “pure lying”.

Donetsk’s military commissariat sent texts to residents stating that Donetsk was under threat from Ukraine.