Russia-Ukraine crisis: Explosion hits area near Donetsk airport

A loud explosion was reported on Monday in the Donetsk airport area controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) by Russian-backed separatists, Sputnik correspondent has reported from the ground. The blast was heard at a distance of several miles, and the sirens were activated in Lugansk after the explosion. Tensions in the volatile eastern flank of Ukraine have risen dramatically in the last two days due to intense artillery shelling at the Ukrainian Army barrages across the line of control. A vehicle explosion in the Russian-backed separatist stronghold was also reported earlier which Washington labelled as a staged attack designed to stoke tensions in eastern Ukraine.

Footages circulated on the Telegram from the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine showed an explosion in a parking lot and a military vehicle caught ablaze. DPR in a statement said that “a car was blown up in the parking lot near the Government House building. The blast wave was heard by the whole city. The Ministry of Emergency Situations went to the place of the explosion."

Explosion in the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk tears through a combat truck. Hours later, two explosions in Lugansk, another self-proclaimed Russian republic in Eastern Ukraine sets 2 pipelines on fire. [Credit: Twitter/@jcokechukwu]

Ukrainian forces blame Russian rebels for ceasefire violations, mortar shellings

While the Ukrainian forces have blamed Russian rebels for the ceasefire violations and breach of Minks agreement, Russia’s self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) has accused Ukraine’s service members of opening fire on the border and launching multiple shelling that targeted a nursery school and injuring three people earlier. Ukraine’s Army reported that at least two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the heavy artillery attacks. 

Russian occupation forces earlier today conducted another military provocation at the line of contact in the contentious Donbas region, the Ukrainian Army said in a statement. The ceasefire violation was carried out with an aim of falsely accusing Ukrainian service members of launching an offensive on the Russian-backed separatists. “Russian aggressor opened heavy armament fire from the settlement of Lobacheve targeting Luhansk,” stated Ukraine’s armed forces. 

Ukraine’s soldiers have been refraining from any aggressive acts that could possibly trigger a violent response, claimed Ukraine’s defense ministry. Russian-backed occupation forces continue to destroy civilian infrastructure on the temporarily occupied territories, as well as sporadically shell civilian settlements soaring tensions in the contested Donbas region, the Ukraine’s Joint Forces command stressed.