Ukraine says soldier killed amid West's drumbeat of war with Russia

The Ukrainian military has announced the death of one of its soldiers in an alleged shelling by pro-Russia forces in the country’s volatile east, amid tensions between Moscow and Kiev. 

The military said the fatality took place early on Saturday when the pro-Russia separatists opened fire on more than 20 settlements and residences in eastern Ukraine, using heavy guns and artillery.

"As a result of a shelling attack, one Ukrainian soldier received a fatal shrapnel wound," the joint military command for east Ukraine said in a statement.

The incident comes as Ukraine's government troops and pro-Russia forces have over the past days accused each other of launching a huge new wave of attacks amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Kiev.

The Ukrainian armed forces reported in a statement 66 exchanges of fire by 7:00 am (0400 GMT) on Saturday, a high number compared to recent stages of the conflict, while pro-Russians called the situation "critical."

The statement said the pro-Russia separatists had resorted to using banned 82 and 120 millimetre-calibre mortar shells in towns across the front running in the eastern regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, collectively known as Donbas.

Moscow formally denied being involved in the conflict and described the flare-up in the region as Ukrainian internal affairs, with pro-Russia separatist leaders accusing the Ukrainian armed forces of trying to retake their two regions by force.

Russia warns of 'alarming' situation in eastern Ukraine as Kiev continues to shell Donbass

The Kremlin warns about "alarming" situation in eastern Ukraine, as regional leaders call for evacuation of residents to Russia.

Pro-Russia leaders announce 'general mobilization'

The leadership of eastern regions of Lugansk and Donetsk on Saturday called the situation "critical" and announced a "general mobilization" in response to the Ukrainian military offensives.

"I urge my fellow citizens who are in the reserves to come to military conscription offices. Today I signed a decree on general mobilization," Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, said in a video statement.

Pushilin stressed that his region's forces had prevented attacks planned by Ukrainian security services, and that Kiev forces had continued their offensives.

"Together, we will achieve for all of us the victory we desire and need. We will protect Donbas and all Russian people," Pushilin added.

The leader of the Lugansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, also published a decree saying the measure in his region was signed to prepare for "repelling aggression.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the situation in the Donbass region on Friday amid intense fighting between the Western-backed Ukrainian forces and ethnic Russians in the region.

"We are very concerned by the reports of recent days; yesterday and the day before, there was a sharp increase in shelling using weapons that are prohibited under the Minsk agreements," Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow, referring to the peace accords aimed at ending the eight-years of conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The United States has over the past month kept accusing Russia of planning to attack Ukraine by stationing as many as 190,000 troops in and around Ukraine's borders. Russia has rejected the allegations, saying the military build-up is defensive in nature.

In a major step to de-escalate the situation, Moscow announced last week that some of the troops deployed in areas bordering Ukraine would return to their bases. It also released footage showing tanks and armored vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars.

The US and its NATO allies, however, claim they have seen no significant withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine's border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly criticized the Western states for stoking tensions and called on them to avoid creating "panic" in the face of the Russian troop buildup on the country's border. Zelensky has said the panic-triggering alerts are placing a heavy burden on his country's economy.

Zelensky's office issued a statement on Saturday and insisted that the situation in Ukraine's east "remains under full control,” also saying the Ukrainian leader has not changed his plans to personally attend the Munich Security Conference despite US scaremongering with regard to the situation in Donbas.

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