Ukraine’s armed forces and pro-Russian separatists accuse each other of serious ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine on Saturday (February 19th), fueling fears of a Russian invasion. The Ukrainian army reported 66 exchanges of fire until 7 a.m., a particularly high level, while separatists in the Donetsk region described the situation as “critical”.
The leaders self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhanskcontrolled by pro-Russian separatists at war with Kiev in eastern Ukraine, have simultaneously proclaimed the “general mobilization”. The Ukrainian army claims that a soldier was killed in the separatist east. Follow our live.
A “dramatic increase” ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported on Saturday a “dramatic increase” violations of the ceasefire between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in the east of the country, a conflict which has already claimed more than 14,000 lives.
Putin oversees military maneuvers. Russian President Vladimir Putin is witnessing large-scale military maneuvers and missile tests on Saturday, including the firing of ballistic and cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that it was a “regular training process”.
Joe Biden “convinced” that Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine. The US President said “convinced” Friday that his Russian counterpart had decided to invade Ukraine, and that the multiplication of clashes was aimed at creating a “false vindication” to launch the offensive in the week or even the days to come.
Ukraine at the center of discussions in Munich. The crisis in Ukraine will be at the heart of discussions on Saturday at the annual Munich security conference. Among those expected are US Vice President Kamala Harris, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UN Chief Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg and President Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky.