Ukrainian soldier killed by artillery fire by pro-Russian separatists amid growing tension in Donbass

A Ukrainian soldier was killed and another seriously injured by an artillery barrage fired by pro-Russian separatists. Ukrainian armed forces reported on Sunday.

In total so far this year 27 Ukrainian soldiers died, more than half of all those who perished in 2020, according to Ukrainian forces. The attacks have intensified in recent weeks and Russia strengthens its military presence along the border with Ukraine.

Russia denies the West’s claims that it has sent forces to eastern Ukraine to help the rebels, but he says that he could intervene if Ukraine tries to take back the area by force.

US warns of ‘consequences’

For his part, the US Secretary of State, Antony blink, he warned in an interview on Sunday that there will be “consequences” if Russia acts “aggressively” against Ukraine, while being increasingly concerned about the increase in Russian troops on the border of the former Soviet republic.

“I am very concerned about the actions of Russia on the borders of Ukraine”, Blinken said on the network’s “Meet the Press” program NBC on military deployment in the region. “This is why we are in very close contact, in close coordination, with our allies and partners in Europe. We all share this concern.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, “He was very clear about it. If Russia acts recklessly or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences. “Blinken added, without specifying what these measures consist of.

Ukraine accused Russia of accumulating thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders, as well as in Crimea, which is still recognized as part of Ukraine by the United Nations, but Kiev is looking to recover.

Kremlin rules out possibility of war

the Kremlin, who did not deny the movements of his troops, said Sunday not seeking war with Ukraine, but what He “will not remain indifferent” to the fate of Russian speakers in this region torn by conflict.

Moscow claims that the war it’s a Ukrainian civil war, while Kiev and Western countries take the documented military, political and financial support of Russia to the separatists as obvious.

The White House said this week that the current number of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine is higher at any time since 2014, when the conflict erupted after the Russian annexation of Crimea.

The conflict in the east Ukraine has killed more than 13,000 and it has become a persistent problem in Moscow’s relations with the West.

Fighting has declined in recent years, but no diplomatic solution was found to define the status of the contested regions.

Biden, who previously oversaw Washington’s Ukraine policy, is seen as a strong ally of the Ukrainians. Its foreign minister, Blinken, has agreed to support Ukraine against “Russian provocations” in discussions this week with his French and German counterparts.

(With information from AFP, EFE, AP)

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