KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The Ukrainian army said one soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in an artillery fire by Russian-backed separatist rebels on Sunday, while hostilities in the east of the country escalated.
Regarding the reported attack, Ukraine says 27 soldiers have been killed in the east this year, more than half the number killed in the whole of 2020. Attacks have increased in recent weeks and Russia has built up troops along the border with Ukraine.
Russia denies Western allegations that it sent troops to eastern Ukraine to help the rebels, but officials say the military could intervene if Ukraine tries to recapture the area by force. The build – up of the troops caused great concern in the West.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday that “if Russia acts recklessly or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences.”
Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists have been fighting in eastern Ukraine since shortly after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Moscow in 2014. More than 14,000 people died in the conflict, and efforts to negotiate a political settlement got stuck.