Ukraine’s interior minister and a group of journalists came under a terrifying burst of shellfire from pro-Russian militants today.
Denys Monastyrsky, and several deputies (MPs), were on a tour of the Ukrainian front line, hosted by the government to show the international media that nearly all the bombardments were coming from the rebel side, when a salvo of mortars, followed by artillery, landed only 300m away from them.
As they ran for the cover of their cars and the army’s armoured vehicles, Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian service correspondent Maryan Kushnir, who filmed the clip, could be heard shouting: ‘Lie down, lie down,’ then ‘run, run!….to the car, to the car!’
A breathless Kushnir says to the camera: ‘Right now, we’re with the minister of internal affairs and they started shooting with mortars, as you can see.
Dramatic moment militants open fire on the Ukrainian interior minister and journalists in eastern Ukraine on Saturday
Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian service correspondent Maryan Kushnir (pictured), who filmed the clip, could be heard shouting: ‘Lie down, lie down,’ then ‘run, run!….to the car, to the car!’
A breathless Kushnir (pictured) says to the camera: ‘Right now, we’re with the minister of internal affairs and they started shooting with mortars, as you can see.’
Huge flames and smoke fill the air after a gas pipeline was struck in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion ‘within days’
Servicemen of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic commandant’s office watch on during an evacuation of residents to Russia
‘That’s the situation, we are being evacuated..we have hidden behind a shelter.’
Then another voice is heard shouting: ‘Down! There! Lie Down! Bursting there, quickly! Going out!’
No-one was hurt in the incident and the officials fled to a bomb shelter before leaving the area.
Later, the Ukraine government revealed that two soldiers were killed and five others wounded in shelling by pro-Russian forces in separate incidents along the line of contact during the day.
Defence minister Oleksil Reznikov said: ‘As of 5 pm, two of our soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in shelling by Russian forces.
‘The Russian side will continue to evade its ceasefire commitments.
‘The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been given all the necessary orders to act in case of danger to our soldiers and civilians.
‘We do not plan any offensives, but we will not allow the firing on the positions of our troops and human settlements with impunity.
‘I express my condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
‘I am proud of the resilience of our army. Thank you to the soldiers and commanders for their dedication and courage.’
Ukrainian troops patrol the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19 – after two soldiers were reportedly killed Saturday by Russian-backed separatists
Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022
Denys Monastyrsky, and several deputies (MPs), were on a tour of the Ukrainian front line on Saturday, hosted by the government to show the international media that nearly all the bombardments were coming from the rebel side, when a salvo of mortars, followed by artillery, landed only 300m away from them. (Pictured: Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022)
Earlier Saturday, separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilisation, amid a spike of violence in the war-torn region and fears in the West that Russia might it as a pretext for an invasion.
Ukraine and the two regions held by the Russia-backed rebels each accused the other of escalation.
Russia on Saturday said at least two shells fired from a government-held part of eastern Ukraine landed across the border.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claim as ‘a fake statement’.
Ukraine’s military said shelling killed a soldier early Saturday in the government-held part of the Donetsk region and that separatist forces were placing artillery in residential areas to try to provoke a response.
On Friday, the rebels began evacuating civilians to Russia with an announcement that appeared to be part of their and Moscow’s efforts to paint Ukraine as the aggressor.
Denis Pushilin, head of the pro-Russian separatist government in the Donetsk region, released a statement on Saturday announcing a full troop mobilisation and urging reservists to show up at military enlistment offices.
A similar announcement quickly followed from Leonid Pasechnik, separatist leader in the Luhansk region.
Mr Pushilin cited an ‘immediate threat of aggression’ from Ukrainian forces, accusations that Ukrainian officials vehemently denied earlier.
He said: ‘I appeal to all the men in the republic who can hold weapons to defend their families, their children, wives, mothers. Together we will achieve the coveted victory that we all need.’
A tank travels through mud during a Ukrainian military drill on Saturday as the country braces for a potential Russian invasion
Ukrainian soldier rests a rocket launcher on his shoulder during a military drill at an unknown location in Ukraine on Saturday – as tensions with Russia reach boiling point
The announcement came as a mass evacuation of women, children and the elderly from the rebel-held territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to neighbouring Russia got under way.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek a resolution to the crisis.
‘I don’t know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,’ Mr Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference.
Mr Zelenskyy said Russia could pick the location for the talks.
‘Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement.’
Meanwhile US president Joe Biden said on Friday he is now ‘convinced’ Mr Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and assault the capital, Kyiv.
After weeks of saying the US was not sure if Mr Putin had made the final decision, Mr Biden said that his judgment had changed, citing American intelligence.
‘As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision,’ the US leader said.
‘We have reason to believe that.’
He reiterated that the assault could occur in the ‘coming days’.