Shelling in east Ukraine, Russia nuclear drill raise tension
India Today
Tensions escalated between Ukraine and Russia as hundreds of artillery shells exploded along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists.
Hundreds of artillery shells exploded along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists, and thousands of people evacuated eastern Ukraine, further increasing fears Sunday that the volatile region could spark a Russian invasion.
Western leaders warned that Russia was poised to attack its neighbour, which is surrounded on three sides by about 150,000 Russian soldiers, warplanes and equipment.
Russia held nuclear drills Saturday and conducted conventional exercises in neighbouring Belarus, and has ongoing naval drills off the coast in the Black Sea.
Read | US hopes India will support America if Russia attacks Ukraine
The United States and many European countries have alleged for months that Russia is trying to create pretexts to invade. They have threatened massive, immediate sanctions if it does.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose a place where the two leaders could meet to try to resolve the crisis. Russia has denied plans to invade.
“Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement,” Zelenskyy said Saturday at an international security conference in Munich, Germany. There was no immediate response from the Kremlin.
