According to pro-Russian rebels and local media, the vehicle of a high-ranking official exploded in a parking lot next to the government building in Donetsk. Nobody was injured. There was initially no confirmation from independent observers.
The US government had been warning for days that Russia was looking for a pretext for military intervention in Ukraine.
Before the explosion, separatist leader Denis Puschilin had urged civilians to flee the military escalation to neighboring Russia.
"A temporary departure will save you and your relatives. According to an agreement reached with the Russian Federation, accommodation facilities are available in the Rostov region. The evacuees will be provided with everything they need."
Review of the Russian nuclear weapons arsenal
Meanwhile, Russia continues its military muscle flexing. A maneuver to check the Russian nuclear weapons arsenal is planned for this Saturday, with Vladimir Putin sitting in the command post.
In the long-planned exercise, which was announced on Friday, rockets with a longer range are to be launched. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is also present.
The Kremlin chief's advice to Ukraine: "All Kiev has to do is sit down at the negotiating table with Donbass representatives and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end the conflict. The sooner this happens , the better. Unfortunately, at the moment we are experiencing the opposite, a worsening of the situation in Donbass."
"multiplication of acts of violence"
In view of the tense situation in the Ukraine conflict with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron called for military action to be stopped and negotiations to be resumed.
"The situation in the Donbass over the past few hours is very worrying. There have already been victims. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. There has clearly been an increase in acts of violence. This must stop."
Controls and security measures have been stepped up in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, just 40 kilometers from the Russian border, amid reports of fighting in the east of the country.
More than 17,000 soldiers, police and other officials have been mobilized and ready to "stop military aggression," according to the head of the local security service. About 13,000 Russian soldiers are stationed on the other side of the border.
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