World News | Ukrainian Interior Minister Comes Under Fire in Donbas - Advisor

Moscow [Russia], February 20 (ANI/Sputnik): Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky came under fire in southeastern Ukraine (Donbas) alongside Ukrainian lawmakers and foreign journalists during their visit to the frontlines on Saturday, Interior Minister's Advisor Anton Gerashchenko said.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian party Servant of the People said that during their visit to Donbas, members of the Verkhovna Rada and foreign journalists came under fire and were evacuated to a shelter.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Calls on Vladimir Putin to Meet as Tensions Soar.

"Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky, a group of Members of Parliament of Ukraine, as well as 25 foreign journalists, have just come under mortar fire at the positions of the 30th Brigade," Gerashchenko said on Facebook.

He added that "journalists from CNN, FoxNews, Washington Post, New York Times, Voice of America could see for themselves who was actually preparing for an attack on peaceful Ukraine."

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine Crisis: NATO Temporarily Closes Office in Kiev, Relocates Staff to Brussels, Lviv.

Gerashchenko noted that "miraculously" no one was injured.

CNN reported that the foreign journalists accompanying Ukraine's interior minister who came under fire also included reporters of the French AFP news agency.

The situation on the contact line in Donbas escalated this week, with the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR) reporting continuing shelling of Donbas settlements by Kiev forces, in violation of the Minsk peace deal. On Friday, DPR and LPR announced the evacuation of their citizens to Russia's Rostov Region amid fears of an attack by Kiev forces.

Starting from late Saturday night, Kiev forces have shelled multiple settlements in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in Ukraine's southeast, including Donetsk suburbs, using artillery prohibited by the Minsk agreements, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said in the early hours of Sunday. (ANI/Sputnik)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)