Ukrainian troops ‘plotting ‘massive storm’ attack on pro-Russian rebels’ – as fresh violence sparks fears of all-out war
Two sides claim to be sticking by a fragile ceasefire treaty despite daily shelling and gunfire
REBELS backed by Vladimir Putin claim Ukrainian troops are preparing a massive assault on areas held by pro-Russian forces.
Senior commander of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Eduard Basurin, alleged Ukraine’s military movements flout peace agreements signed in Minsk.
He spoke after an upsurge of violence in recent days that experts fear could see all-out war erupt in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian National Guards have moved to the Volnovakha area, and an artillery anti-tank division is being relocated towards Donetsk and Mariupol, he said.
He said: “We are registering the concentration of forces and hardware of the enemy along the front line in order to gather a major attacking force.”
Basurin alleged that Ukrainian forces fired fifty shells banned by the ceasefire yesterday alone – with 40 killed in recent clashes.
He claimed pro-Russian forces had respected the ceasefire along a 250 mile front in eastern Ukraine.
But Ukraine rubbished the allegations, pinning the blame firmly on the rebels, who it said had fired 4,000 shells in just a week.
Kiev authorities said: “The Russian Federation is fully responsible for the recent escalation in violence in eastern Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian Government is committed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict through the Minsk Agreement.”
Foreign Minister Boris Johnson today labelled the conflict as “murky”.
Ahead of an EU Foreign Affairs Council, Boris said: “We’ll be talking about Ukraine as well, talking about the recent upsurge in violence.
“Everybody is very concerned about that. The causes, as you know, aren’t quite clear.
“There’s a bit of murkiness about who initiated that.”
The warning came after President Donald Trump discussed “the potential for a peaceful resolution of the conflict” with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
US Vice President Mike Pence responded to new Russian aggression in Ukraine, saying: “Were watching and very troubled by the increased hostilities.”
Russia denies having troops serving inside rebel-held eastern Ukraine but fears are growing of major new fighting .
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