2 Ukrainian soldiers, civilian killed in Donbas

By Talha Yavuz

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Two Ukrainian soldiers and a civilian were killed when pro-Russian separatists opened fire in the eastern Donbas region, Ukrainian police said on Monday.

In a statement, the police said that two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and three others injured in the Zaitseve region, while a solider was also injured in the Vodiane region.

A civilian also died in Novoluganske as pro-Russian separatists opened fire in the region.

Tensions rose dramatically in eastern Ukraine last week, with reports of a growing number of cease-fire violations, multiple shelling incidents, and evacuation of civilians from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The US has accused Russia of amassing nearly 150,000 troops along the Ukrainian border in preparation for an imminent invasion.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any plan to invade Ukraine and instead accused Western countries of undermining Russia's security through NATO's expansion toward its borders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced later Monday that Moscow is recognizing the breakaway separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The move drew immediate condemnation and announcements of sanctions from Western countries.

In 2014, Moscow began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the central government, a policy that it has maintained for the past seven years. The conflict has taken more than 13,000 lives, according to the UN.