Russian Forces Violate Ceasefire, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Says
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said its forces recorded 29 ceasefire violations by Russian occupation forces from midnight to 11 a.m. on Thursday.
The ministry said 27 of the violations were using weapons prohibited by the Minsk Protocol, the agreement that ended fighting between Russia and Ukraine in 2014.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine accused Russia-backed separatist forces of shelling the southeastern village of Stanytsia Luhanska, which is controlled by Ukrainian government troops. Ukrainian media posted footage of a hole blown in the wall of a kindergarten, ABC News reported.
The Ministry of Defense said “terrorists fired 32 shots from 122mm heavy artillery systems,” adding that the building of the kindergarten was damaged and “the infrastructure was damaged and a half of the locality was left with no power.”
Some pro-Russia social media accounts posted the footage without context, saying it was in a separatist-held area and calling it fake, according to ABC News.
The news comes after Russian officials indicated that the country would be withdrawing an unspecified number of troops from the Ukrainian border following the completion of military exercises on Tuesday. Officials in Ukraine and the West remain unconvinced that the move represents a sign that Russia will not move forward with a military incursion into its western neighbor.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that “despite Moscow’s claims, we have seen no sign of withdrawal or de-escalation so far.”
“On the contrary, Russia’s build-up appears to continue,” Stoltenberg continued.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the U.S. has seen “no meaningful pullback” of Russian forces, and President Biden noted on Tuesday that more than 150,000 Russian troops were still gathered and that the U.S. had not verified Russia’s drawdown. “Our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” said Biden.
“If Russia attacks the United States or our allies through asymmetric means like disruptive cyber attacks against our companies or critical infrastructure, we’re prepared to respond,” declared the president.
On Wednesday, Russia again claimed that more of its forces were withdrawing from Ukraine’s borders, though U.S. officials said later that intelligence shows that 7,000 more Russian soldiers had actually arrived on the Ukrainian border.
The U.S. reportedly believes the window for a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine has been widened by another 4 to 5 days, according to CBS News.