Ukraine soldier dies in shelling attack by Russia-backed separatists

By AFP 23 February 2022, 6:00 pm

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An armored vehicle rolls down a street outside Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine, late Tuesday, February 22, 2022. (AP)

A Ukrainian soldier has died in a shelling attack near the frontline with the Moscow-backed separatist east, the armed forces say, as fears mount of a Russian invasion.

Ukraine’s army did not specify the location of the attack, saying only that one soldier “suffered fatal injuries” and another was wounded in the shelling.

Nine Ukrainian soldiers have died since the beginning of the year, with six of them killed in intensifying clashes over the past four days, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

Rebel leaders have only claimed casualties among civilians, but not their fighters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the independence of Ukraine’s two separatist regions, approving the deployment of regular troops into the region.

US and NATO officials say Russia is now poised to invade Ukraine after surrounding it with 150,000 soldiers and then staging a series of military drills, including with its ally Belarus.

But Putin has not said when he might dispatch his force, saying on Tuesday that it would “depend on the situation on the ground.”