The Ukrainian military has reported that two of their soldiers were killed and four had been wounded due to shelling by pro-Russian separatists, on Saturday, in eastern Ukraine, as per Reuters. 

The area has seen a spark in violence this week, even as Russia’s troop presence at Ukraine’s border has increased, raising fears of an imminent invasion. 

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The Ukrainian army’s official Facebook page has noted that there have been 70 ceasefire violations executed by separatists, which is considerably higher than the 66 logged in the past 24 hours, as per Reuters. The agency further reported that separatists had attacked 30 frontline settlements, making use of heavy artillery. 

According to the Reuters’ report, the use of such ammunition is prohibited under agreements that aim to cool the conflict present there. The agency also reported that foreign press and lawmakers, visiting this conflict zone, got caught in between. They were soon moved to a shelter, out of harm’s way, Reuters reported a spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s party saying in another statement. 

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Meanwhile, separatists took to Telegram, accusing Ukraine of shelling their occupied areas, thus warranting a response, Reuters reported. The Ukraine government has already called the increased separatist troubles a provocation, as per Reuters. At the same time, they’ve denied claims from Russia that Kyiv might launch an assault on separatist-occupied eastern Ukraine. 

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With troop buildup at Ukraine’s border, several nations in the world including the US and the UK, have warned the nation of a possible invasion. The US also floated the idea of Russia carrying out a ‘false flag’ operation. In this scenario, the Vladimir Putin-led government would use the separatist unrest as an excuse to invade. 

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Initially, Russia and the US locked horns over reducing NATO’s military presence in eastern Europe, and blocking Ukraine’s entry into the military organization.