Ukrainian officials visit eastern regions, face grants

Officials managed to shelter before the grants hit the area. A Ukrainian Radio Europe Free Radio Service journalist, who conveyed the visit of officials, said the grenades dropped 300m from the location of officials and journalists.

Earlier in the day, the leaders of separatists backed by Russia to the east of Ukraine have ordered full military mobilization as fear of the invasion of Ukraine has increased.

Denis Pushil and Leonid Pasechnik, leaders of the occupied Donnetsk and Luhansk regions, have issued separate statements on February 19th, through which they have announced full mobilization of troops and have called on the reserve to go to military offices and report that they are ready.

This movement comes at the time of increasing violence in recent days along the line of contact between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the region, which has raised fears in the West that Moscow can use this violence as an excuse to attack Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Army said that two soldiers in Donnetsk, controlled by government, were killed by grants on February 19th and that separatist forces had deployed artillery in residential areas, trying to provoke government forces.

“As a result of grenade attacks, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed”, the military said.

There have been almost 600 violations of the ceasefire east of Ukraine in the last 24 hours, including 300 explosions, said the monitoring team from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSBE) on February 18th.

Some explosions have also been heard on the morning of February 19 in the northern part of Donnetsk.

Both sides have charged each other with grants, while separatists in Donnetsk have said that dozens of grenades have been thrown on their territory, while the Ukrainian side has reported 19 violation of the ceasefire by separatists.

Russian media have reported that 10,000 people have been evacuated from the east of Ukraine and have arrived in Russia.

Separatists have announced plans to evacuate 700,000 people to the southeast of Russia, saying the evacuation would take place for fear of an attack by Ukrainian forces -- the charge Kiev dismissed.

The rebel leaders said that women, children and the elderly would be the first to leave for Russia, who have said they agreed to house these people.

Russia has given passports to tens of thousands of citizens east of Ukraine, a move that has been condemned by the West. Russia may try to justify the invasion of Ukraine on the pretext that it is protecting its “citizens east of Ukraine, Western officials have said.

Russia has denied that there are plans to invade Ukraine and has accused the United States of “hisister”.

The Kremlin has gathered over 150,000 troops on the border with Ukraine and has asked the West to comply with a list of security requirements, including for Ukraine to be denied NATO membership.

The West has rejected Russia's main requirement, which is halting NATO enlargement and withdrawing from Eastern and Central Europe, saying that sovereign states have the right to choose their own alliances.

However, the US and Europe have said they are willing to negotiate other demands presented by Russia, including restrictions on the delocation of missiles and military exercises. / REL