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Moscow Says Kiev May Resort to Use of Force Again in E Ukrainian Standoff

© REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov A man and a child walk in the snow at the destroyed war memorial at Savur-Mohyla, a hill east of the city of Donetsk
A man and a child walk in the snow at the destroyed war memorial at Savur-Mohyla, a hill east of the city of Donetsk - Sputnik International
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin expressed concern over the lastes events taling place in Ukraine indicate Kiev's apparent plans to use military force in the eastern regions of the country.

Head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Alexander Zakharchenko - Sputnik International
Donetsk Leader Says Kiev Preparing for War
MOSCOW, January 16 (Sputnik) — Latest events fuel serious concerns over Kiev's apparent plans to use a forcible solution for the East Ukrainian standoff, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said Friday.

"The events occuring in the past few days confirm the most serious concerns. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the escalation of military actions, the increase in shelling and number of casualties, a new destruction," Karasin told RIA Novosti.

According to officials from the self-procalimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, there are no signs progress in peaceful reconciliation in eastern Ukraine, with 57 instances of shelling by Kiev led forces in the last 24 hours in violation of the ceasefire.

Last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree authorizing a three-stage military mobilization in 2015, which would add a total of 104,000 soldiers to the country’s army.

A member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission to Ukraine watches a drone take off during a test flight near the town of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 - Sputnik International
OSCE Reports Increase in Ceasefire Violations, Casualties in East Ukraine
On Thursday the Ukrainian parliament expanded the upper limit of compulsory military draft age for male citizens from 25 to 27 years.

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian president's press service said Ukraine is reinforcing its military presence in the "hot spots" in the country's east.

Amid the rapid increase in violence in Donbas, earlier this week Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Ukrainian authorities against returning to the use of "forcible scenarios" in resolving the country's crisis and stressed the importance of reconciliation talks. However, on Friday Kiev envoys did not arrive at a scheduled Contact Group meeting in Minsk.

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