The official told the press that Kiev has intensified its provocative actions near the contact line in the Donbass region during the last 24 hours.

According to Peskov, the Russian authorities keep themselves updated on the current situation in southeastern Ukraine, and stressed that the tension in the region has increased.

Peskov highlighted the fact that news tell of the huge Russian attack capability on the border with Ukraine, “but nobody, not a single Western representative speaks of the enormous attack capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the contact line.”

The head of the Kremlin press office reiterated that Moscow will not accept complaints about the way it moves its military forces on its own territory, saying “it is our sovereign right and we have no intention of discussing it with anyone” when asked for comments on reports that Russia would continue to send troops to the border with Ukraine.

He stressed that the provocative actions on Ukraine’s part in the Donbass region have only intensified, a situation he described as “very dangerous”.

The spokesman for the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Oleg Nikitin, said on Thursday that they were forced to open fire to suppress the Ukrainian military and protect civilians, the TASS news agency reported.

The representation of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic in the Joint Center for the Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire denounced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to commit serious violations and carried out two new bombardments using artillery and automatic grenade launchers.

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