Mon 21 February 2022:
The Russian military claims it has stopped a “diversionary reconnaissance” group from crossing the Ukrainian border.
The incident, which allegedly occurred around 03:00 GMT in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, claimed the lives of five troops, according to the Russian defense ministry.
Kyiv dismissed the allegation as “fake news”.
The exchange came hours after the Kremlin dashed hopes that top-level diplomacy aimed at easing the Ukraine crisis would be imminent, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden had appeared to agree – in principle – to talks.
Ukrainian official denies Russian reports of Rostov incident
Ukraine has firmly denied Moscow’s claims that Russian forces killed five Ukrainian “saboteurs” who allegedly crossed the border to stage an attack.
“Not a single one of our soldiers has crossed the border with the Russian Federation, and not a single one has been killed today,” Anton Gerashchenko, an official at Ukraine’s interior ministry, told reporters.
Ukraine’s chief diplomat dismisses ‘diversionary reconnaissance’ claims
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has dismissed Russia’s accusations of a border breach by Ukrainian forces.
“I categorically refute Russia’s disinformation. Ukraine did not attack Donetsk, Luhansk; didn’t send saboteurs or APCs across the border; didn’t shoot Russia’s territory or checkpoint at the border; didn’t organise diversions and doesn’t plan such actions,” he wrote on Twitter.
“I demand that Russia stops its fake [news] factory,” he added.
Putin’s plan for Ukraine invasion ‘has begun’, UK PM’s spokesman says
The United Kingdom’s government has seen intelligence that suggests Putin has put into motion a plan for invading Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman says.
“The intelligence we are seeing suggests that Russia intends to launch an invasion and that President Putin’s plan has already begun,” the spokesman told reporters.
“We’re seeing seen elements of the Russian playbook that we would expect to see in certain situations, starting to play out in real time.”
Moscow claims Ukrainian shell has destroyed a border facility
Moscow says a shell fired from Ukraine has destroyed a border facility used by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The security service said in a statement that the “unidentified projectile” had flattened the facility located about 150 metres (164 yards) from Russia’s border with Ukraine, in the country’s southwestern Rostov region.
The statement added that no one had been injured in the incident and that Russian military engineers had arrived at the scene. Video released by the FSB showed a small, apparently one-room building with its roof and walls caved in and a Russian flag leaning against strewn debris.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claim.
Russia says 60,000 ‘refugees’ have crossed from rebel-held eastern Ukraine: Report
Russia’s emergencies ministry has said more than 60,000 “refugees” from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine have crossed into Russia following evacuation orders issued by the territories’ separatist authorities last week, the RIA Novosti news agency reports.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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