US accuses Moscow of aggravating the situation in the Donbas

The United States of America places all responsibility for yesterday’s shelling of the environs of Mariupol to Russia and jointly Russian-separatist troops. About this with reference to the representative of the US State Department John Kirby reports Miroslav Gongadze.

“A State Department representative just said that the United States places full responsibility for yesterday’s shelling of Mariupol on Russia and jointly Russian-separatist troops,” the journalist wrote in her post. Facebook.

On the night of August 17, heavy artillery fighters fired at the suburbs of Mariupol. The villages of Sartana and Lebedinskoe suffered. As a result of the shelling, two civilians were killed, six more were wounded. Also damaged 45 buildings.

In addition, during the past day, 16 August, the militants 148 times fired positions of the Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. According to updated data, two soldiers died, seven were injured. The most difficult situation remained in the Donetsk direction.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the recent events in the Donbass are reminiscent of preparations for the resumption of active hostilities. The minister compared the state of affairs in eastern Ukraine with August last year, RBC reports.

According to Lavrov, now we can talk not about the “line of contact” of illegal armed groups of the DPR and the Ukrainian military, but about the front.

At the end of last week, the OSCE observer mission noted the deterioration of the situation in the Donbas, and also reported on the movement of heavy weapons from temporary deployment sites.

15 in August, the press center of the ATO reported that the militants are showing "the largest in recent months" activity. During Sunday, August 16, the DPR forces, according to the Ukrainian side, violated the cease-fire 148 times. In the evening of August 16, the Ukrainian military reported that the militia were firing on the eastern outskirts of Mariupol.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier 16 August said that the situation in Ukraine is "explosive."

“The degree of threat is high. If both parties to the conflict do not return to the negotiation process, a new round of military escalation will be launched at any time, ”said Steinmeier.