Fears of a Russian military intervention in Ukraine were further heightened on Friday with the multiplication of clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, a scenario of “provocations” according to the United States.
• Read also: Ukraine: “Russia is heading for an imminent invasion”, says Washington again
• Read also: Details of a worst-case scenario of an imminent Russian attack on Ukraine
• Read also: Ukraine is “not afraid” and will “defend” against Russia
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken denounced the implementation of “a scenario” of “provocations” designed by the Russians in order to justify an attack on Ukraine, after two days of clashes which led the secessionist authorities to order the evacuation of civilians.
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”.
A US official estimated on Friday that Russia had 190,000 troops on the outskirts of Ukraine and on its territory, including separatist forces. Until then, they were talking about 150,000 at the country’s borders.
US President Joe Biden joins leaders of several European countries, NATO and the European Union on Friday for a virtual meeting.
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 Kiev has to do is sit down at the negotiating table with the representatives (of the separatists) of Donbass and come to an agreement”, he said, receiving his counterpart from Belarus and ally , Alexander Lukashenko.
Throughout the day, the belligerents accused each other of violating a truce and using heavy weapons.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who had attempted mediation in Russia and Ukraine in early February, called for the “cessation of military acts”, as long as “Russian military pressure does not weaken”.
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 no matter what. 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, according to AFP journalists. She had already been hit the day before by shots which notably hit a nursery school.
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 “all men capable of holding a weapon to defend their homeland”.
Russia meanwhile again affirmed on Friday that it was withdrawing military units from the outskirts of Ukraine.
“That is not happening,” however, declared Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiï Reznikov on Friday before the deputies.
According to Washington, Russia is looking for a pretext to attack Ukraine and a resurgence of violence in the Donbass could be one of them, Moscow seeing itself as the defender of the Russian-speaking populations of the region, especially since it has distributed passports there Russians to the people.
According to the Ukrainian army and the rebels, ceasefire violations numbered in the dozens on Friday, but no side reported deaths along the front line of several hundred kilometers.
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 against 129.
The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, accused the OSCE of bias, accusing it of “mitigating the points which 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.
Russia denies any plan of invasion, but demands guarantees for its security such as the withdrawal of NATO from Eastern Europe, all demands rejected by the West.
Moscow, in addition to its support for armed separatists, has already annexed Ukrainian territory, Crimea in 2014.