Tension escalates as kindergarten in Ukraine's east is shelled; Russia expels US diplomat

According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there were "several shelling events" across the frontline in the Donbas area on Thursday morning.  

Tensions have increased considerably in Ukraine's east when Russian-backed rebels opened fire across the line of control with Ukrainian soldiers, striking a nursery school and wounded three people. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there were "several shelling events" across the frontline in the Donbas area on Thursday morning.

The airstrike on Stanytsia Luhanska ripped a hole in the wall of kindergarten number 21. When the building on Depovska Street was apparently damaged by a shell, classes had already begun. Debris and brick were scattered across a play area.

The students were in another room when the rocket struck, but a teacher, a laundry worker, and a security officer were all injured, according to sources. According to the Ukrainian military, 32 shells fell in the city, injuring a serviceman and disrupting power supply.

Meanwhile, Russia expelled the US deputy ambassador, according to the State Department, in what US officials described as a "escalatory action." Ambassador John J. Sullivan, the United States' top ambassador to Russia, is still in Moscow.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, condemned Russia of "provocative shelling" at a time when US Vice President Joe Biden warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was still "distinctly feasible." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that he is "concerned that Russia is attempting to manufacture a pretext for an armed strike on Ukraine."

The Kremlin said on Thursday that it was profoundly concerned about the recent escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine and hoped that the West would use its influence over Kiev to prevent further escalation.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, denied suggestions of a Russian invasion, but said Moscow was keeping a careful eye on the situation. He stated that Russia has begun to withdraw some of its troops who had finished manoeuvres in areas bordering Ukraine, but that the process would take time. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Stoltenberg have all voiced profound scepticism that Russia is withdrawing its soldiers. The Kremlin stated that troops required time to return to their posts, claiming that it takes weeks for them to deploy for military training.