US President, Joe Biden and Secretary of State, Antony Blinken have warned that Russia could be on the brink of invading Ukraine amid an apparent failure to withdraw troops from its side of the border and accusations of a possible false-flag operation in Ukraine’s East.
NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg also voiced concern on Thursday that Russia may be attempting to “stage a pretext” for an attack on Ukraine following reports of shelling in the country’s conflict-hit east.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said pro-Russian forces had shelled a kindergarten, in what he called a “big provocation”.
For its part, the Kremlin said Moscow was “seriously concerned” about reports of an escalation after the separatists accused government forces of opening fire on the territory they hold four times in the past 24 hours.