Ukraine's pro-Western leadership and Russia traded blame today for a sharp escalation in violence that threatened to see all-out warfare return to the former Soviet nation's separatist east.
Kiev and the insurgents today reported the death of at least 10 soldiers and civilians -- a dramatic escalation that sparked international condemnation and marked the worst bloodshed in more than a month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin pinned the upsurge on alleged preparations by Kiev to grab back territories it has lost over the course of the 16-month war.
"Unfortunately, we are now witnessing an escalation whose blame lies not on the rebels but on their foes," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying.
"I hope that things will not lead to large-scale violence."
But Ukrainian army spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov accused "Russia of trying to pile additional pressure on Ukraine."
"This once again proves that the (separatists) are not looking for a peaceful way out of this conflict," he told reporters in Kiev.
The Ukrainian army yesterday reported the death of one soldier and the injury of another in the Russian-speaking provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk.
But the military also noted a "sharp drop-off in the number of provocative attacks on Ukrainian positions."
Separatist offensives have previously been halted by Western condemnation of Russia -- an increasingly isolated giant that faces the threat of even stronger Western sanctions for its alleged support of most rebel campaigns.
Moscow denies the charges and in turn accuses Washington of orchestrating the February 2014 ouster of a Moscow-backed president of Ukraine that sparked the current conflict.
Monday's clashes culminated a restless week in the former Soviet nation that saw the number of rocket and heavy artillery fire exchanges climb to levels not recorded since the signing of a very loosely observed February armistice.
The militias have been trying to seize a road linking their de facto capital Donetsk with Mariupol -- a southeastern port held by the government and responsible for exporting much of the industrial region's factory output.
