Russia鈥檚 President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference with his Belarus counterpart, following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 18, 2022. Putin said on February 18, 2022 that the situation in conflict-hit eastern Ukraine was worsening, as the West accuses him of planning an imminent attack on the country. (Photo by Sergei GUNEYEV / Sputnik / AFP)
MOSCOW 鈥斅燫ussia鈥檚 leader will oversee major military drills along Ukraine鈥檚 borders on Saturday, further escalating tensions after Washington said Moscow would invade within days, and Ukraine鈥檚 president headed to Europe to drum up support.
Artillery shelling in the east of Ukraine and orders from Russian-backed separatists for civilians to evacuate the region Friday inflamed an already febrile situation as Washington insisted Moscow was encircling its pro-Western neighbor.
The Kremlin continues to say it has no plans to attack.
US President Joe Biden said that the invasion would come in the next week or days and that his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin had 鈥渕ade the decision鈥� to invade. But Biden left the door open for a diplomatic resolution.
鈥淩ussia has a choice between war and all the suffering it will bring or diplomacy that will make a future for everyone,鈥� Biden said at the White House Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to travel to Germany Saturday to meet Western leaders, with talks between him and US Vice President Kamala Harris expected.
Biden questioned whether it was a 鈥渨ise choice鈥� for Ukraine鈥檚 leader to leave his country as war fears reached a fever pitch.
The United States says that with an estimated 149,000 Russian troops on Ukraine鈥檚 borders 鈥� as many as 190,000, when including the Russian-backed separatist forces 鈥� an attack is inevitable.
The Russians have never given a figure for the deployment along the border with Ukraine nor how many are taking part in ongoing drills with neighboring Belarus.
Compounding fears, Russia鈥檚 defense ministry announced that Putin would personally oversee previously scheduled drills involving missile launches on Saturday.
鈥楥hange the dynamics鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 focused on trying to convince the world he has the ability to change the dynamics in Europe in a way that he cannot,鈥� Bided added.
There were growing fears that a spark, which Washington warns could be a deliberate 鈥渇alse flag鈥� incident orchestrated by Moscow, could set off the largest military confrontation in Europe since World War II.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, attending the Munich Security Conference, warned the size of the assembled Russian force far exceeded that needed for military drills, and that Russia had the capacity to invade without warning.
France and Germany have urged Russia to use its influence on rebels in Ukraine鈥檚 disputed east to 鈥渆ncourage restraint and contribute to de-escalation鈥�.
But on the ground, a spike in clashes has fed a growing sense of dread.
An AFP reporter near the front between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the Lugansk region heard explosions and saw damaged civilian buildings on Kyiv鈥檚 side of the line.
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said Saturday they had seen a significant rise in the number of attacks along the front line, particularly in the separatist areas of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Officials told local media that 25,000 people had left Lugansk and more than 6,000 had left Donetsk for Russia. There were reports of long car queues at checkpoints in Donetsk.
Seeking to reverse the aggressor narrative, Moscow-backed leaders have accused Kyiv of planning an offensive to retake the eastern territories. The evacuations of civilians there were said to be in response to worries about a government attack.
Russian news agencies quoted officials in Lugansk saying there had been two explosions within an hour on a gas pipeline but the fires were under control.
But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will meet his Russian counterpart for talks Thursday according to Biden, accused the Kremlin of mounting a propaganda campaign to create an excuse for war.
Biden again ruled out sending US troops into Ukraine, but his administration reiterated that it would hit Moscow with costly sanctions that would transform Russia into 鈥渁 pariah to the international community鈥�.