Heavy shelling by pro-Russian rebels raises tensions in Ukraine

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels gave conflicting accounts of shelling across the front in the Donbas separatist region. The details could not be established independently, but reports from both sides suggested an incident more serious than the routine ceasefire violations reported regularly in the area.

Pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine have accused government forces of shelling a village, while Russian media reported more infantry and tank units were returning to their bases in contrast to Western fears of an imminent Russian invasion. Credit: Reuters Photo

For a second consecutive day, pro-Russian separatists who have been at war with Ukraine for years said they had come under mortar and artillery fire from Ukrainian forces, according to the Interfax news agency. Credit: AFP Photo

Kyiv and the rebels blamed each other for escalating tension after artillery and mortar attacks on Thursday, prompting fears that Russia, which has amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, could get involved. Credit: Reuters Photo

Kyiv and the pro-Russian separatists have been facing off for eight years, and a ceasefire between them is routinely violated, but the intensity of fighting increased notably this week. Credit: Reuters Photo

Service members of the Ukrainian armed forces talk with a local resident outside of a kindergarten, which, according to Ukraine's military officials, was damaged by shelling, in Stanytsia Luhanska, in the Luhansk region, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters Photo

A woman stands among debris after the reported shelling of a kindergarten in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine. Credit: AFP Photo

A military truck is seen destroyed by the shelling near the village of Novotoshkivske in the Luhansk region, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters Photo

A Ukrainian soldier looks at debris after the reported shelling of a kindergarten in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska. Credit: AFP Photo

A house is seen damaged by the shelling in Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters Photo