Two Ukraine soldiers killed in clashes with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Donetsk

A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicted the "possibility" of war with Russia, pro-Russian separatists gunned down two Ukrainian soldiers in heavy firing in the eastern Donetsk region. Besides, 10 other soldiers were severely wounded on Sunday as pro-separatists backed by Russia rained artillery fire, grenade launchers, and drone attacks on Ukrainian forces.

"Two members of the Joint Forces were killed,"  Al Jazeera quoted the Ukrainian military as saying. However, there were no victims from the local region, the Ukrainian military added.

The fight between the Ukrainian forces and the pro-Russian separatists broke out in the Donetsk and Lugansk region after Russia captured the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. According to information from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, at least 52 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed as a result of the clashes that erupted at the beginning of this year. A total of 50 troops were killed in clashes last year.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian separatists claimed that as many as 30 of their soldiers have been killed since the beginning of this year. However, it is unclear as to how many have died in the previous year. Amidst the violent skirmishes, Ukraine and its Western allies have often accused Russia of backing the separatists with arms and forces. Moscow, however, continues to deny all such claims.

Ukrainian President predicts "full-scale war" with Russia

On 12 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indirectly warned Russian of a "full-scale war." Speaking at the Yalta security forum in Kyiv, Zelensky asserted that looking at the military operation between both the countries, Ukraine has not ruled out the "possibility of an all-out war." However, the war would be the biggest mistake on the Russian front at this point in time, The Independent reported, quoting Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian President also mentioned that the escalation of violence will soon reach to "precipice" between both the neighbouring countries. This could lead to a possibility of not returning from danger, he added. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to recognise Ukraine as "a fully sovereign state," to which, Zelenskyy retorted by saying that national sovereignty worked reciprocally.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Russia-Ukraine Conflict also referred to as an "undeclared war," began about seven years ago when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The conflict took a violent turn as the Ukrainian Forces engaged in a gunfight along the eastern Donbas region with the pro-Russian separatists' group. As per reports by the Associated Press, Russia sent about 100,000 military support to the eastern and southern borders to counter Ukrainian Forces. In August this year, Zelenskyy accused Russia of turning Crimea into a "military base."

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP/Representative)