Moscow, April 11, (dpa/GNA) – A Ukrainian soldier has been shot dead by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, the military said on Sunday, as tensions in the region draw higher despite a ceasefire.
Another member of the military was injured during an “enemy attack,” the military said in Kiev.
According to the statement, the Ukrainian positions were attacked nine times since Saturday. The separatists in the Donetsk region also accused the Ukrainian military of staging attacks.
Russia and Ukraine have recently traded blame for the heightened tensions in eastern Ukraine, which has been roiled by conflict for the past seven years.
For the first time, the Kremlin openly threatened a military intervention if the Ukrainian army staged an offensive. According to the Russian military doctrine, this would be justified to protect Russian citizens abroad.
Russia has distributed more than 400,000 passports to citizens in the separatist-held eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Germany, the United States and NATO have expressed concern about the new tensions.
German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Saturday demanded an explanation of Moscow’s intentions. “If Russia has nothing to hide, it could easily explain which troops are being moved where and to what goal,” she wrote on Twitter.
Russia had previously said it owes no explanations about its troop movements.
Germany also criticized that Russia didn’t take part in a Saturday meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which it is a member, to discuss the situation.
“Russia has to de-escalate & clarify the character of its troop movements near [Ukraine]‘s borders,” the OSCE wrote on Twitter.
GNA