Talk Of Ukraine Firing On Luhansk

Russian outlet Sputnik (not known for accuracy) tweets: " Ukrainian armed forces fired mortar shells and grenades at four localities in the Luhansk People's Republic at 2:30 am GTM on Thursday, according to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination."

• Sputnik: "The attack came amid tensed relations beween Russia and NATO, whose members have been claiming that Moscow's alleged military buildup near Ukraine's borders would lead to an "invasion." Moscow has repeatedly rejected the allegations about an "incursion", warning in turn of the possibility of provocations by Kiev in a bid to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine by means of force."
• The U.S. and its NATO allies have repeatedly noted that Russia might be seeking to create a false pretext for launching a military intervention. Over the recent days, Russian state media have disseminated unsubstantiated accusations related to Ukraine's military activity.
• Note that Russian parliament has passed an appeal to President Putin to recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as sovereign states. Such recognition could set a legal ground for a Russian military intervention in the "republics" (on their formal request) in a replay of the scenario used by Moscow in the 2008 Russo-Georgian war.
• Sputnik is a state-owned news agency frequently described as a propaganda mouthpiece for the Kremlin. Click here to view the full story.