Pro-Russian separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine on Saturday ordered a full military mobilization amid a recent escalation of violence in the region.
Western leaders have warned that Moscow might use skirmishes in Ukraine’s war-torn regions near the Russian border as a pretext for a full-scale invasion.
“I appeal to all the men in the republic who can hold weapons to defend their families, their children, wives, mothers,” said Denis Pushilin, the separatist leader in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. ”Together we will achieve the coveted victory that we all need.”
Ukrainian forces have been engaged in a nearly eight-year standoff with pro-Russian separatists. Violence between the two groups has escalated in recent days amid a Russian troop buildup along its border with Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military said shelling in a government-held part of the Donetsk region killed a Ukrainian soldier on Saturday and accused the separatists of placing artillery in residential areas to provoke a response.
Tensions further increased Saturday as Russia began conducting nuclear drills involving its Black Sea Fleet based in the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Russia has amassed nearly 150,000 troops along Ukraine’s border, sparking fears among Western leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to invade.
President Biden said Friday that he is “convinced” that Mr. Putin has made the decision to invade and said an assault on Kyiv may be imminent.
“As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision,” Mr. Biden said. “We have reason to believe that.”
• This article was based in part on wire service reports.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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