Shocking video shows Russian-backed separatists attacking Ukraine’s interior minister with mortar shells.

Tensions are running high in eastern Ukraine and any spark could provoke war. This Sunday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastirsky released a video of himself fleeing a motorcycle attack in the Donetsk region near the area controlled by pro-Russian separatists..

In pictures captured by a journalist Radio Free Europe / Radio LibertyThe Ukrainian minister, along with journalists and soldiers, could be seen fleeing to safety in a safe place, while the noise did not stop.

“Behold! Get on the ground!” Someone shouted. “Fast! Fire!“, He added.

According to the Ukrainian media, The bomber struck about 300 meters from where the minister and journalists were.

OSCE monitors have recorded more than 1,500 ceasefire violations in 24 hours in the pro-Russian separatist east of Ukraine.The company said on Saturday that this year was a record so far.

From Thursday afternoon to Friday night, observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) noted 591 ceasefire violations in Donetsk and 975 in the two separatist areas of Luhansk.

Fierce fighting took place in the northwest of the Lukansk regionThe city loyal to the Kiev government is about 20 kilometers southeast of Severodonetsk.

The OSCE, which includes Russia and the United States, resumed its peacekeeping mission in Ukraine in 2014, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the outbreak of conflict between Kiev and pro – Russian separatists in the Donbass region. 14,000 deaths.

Saturday, The organization warned of a “drastic increase” in ceasefire violations signed in 2015.

The Ukrainian military says two soldiers were killed this Saturday in a separatist bombing.

On the other hand, Russia and Belarus have decided to extend their joint inspection time beyond this SundayBelarusian Defense Minister Viktor Grenin has announced that the 2022 military exercises will be completed.

When Russian troops were expected to return to their camps this Sunday, they decided to keep the Moscow and Minsk region on edge, easing tensions by withdrawing from the Ukrainian border.

“In view of the increase in military activity near the border (…) and the deterioration of the situation in the Donbass, the presidents of Belarus and Russia have decided to continue the force study.The Defense Ministry said in a telegram on Sunday.

The announcement comes just hours after a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, who were watching ballistic missile exercises from a command center in the Kremlin.

A few days ago, the Belarusian government He promised that Russian troops would be withdrawn “immediately” once the maneuvers were over. Moscow had earlier said that the troops now participating in the exercise would return to their bases after the exercises. Now, the extension means tensions in the region remain high.

For his part, the President of the United States, Joe Biden is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at any time and in any form to help prevent a war in Ukraine.His Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said Sunday on the network CBS.

The US diplomat also reaffirmed CNN What The diplomatic path is possible “as long as the tanks are actually moving and the planes are in the sky”. However, he added with caution: “Everything we see is very serious, indicating that we are on the brink of an invasion.”

Plinken’s reports that tensions are running high in the region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky called for the resumption of talks with Russia this Sunday. Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) And an “immediate ceasefire” was established in the East, After a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. We request an emergency meeting of the Tripartite Liaison Committee [Ucrania, Rusia, OSCE] And establishing an immediate ceasefire, ”Zhelensky said on Twitter.

Since 2014, he has faced the uprising of pro-Russian separatists in the east of Kiev and Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula. Tensions are high on its eastern border, where Russia will have 190,000 troops for an invasion.According to Washington.

Continue reading: