Ukrainian interior minister and military officials come under shelling attack from Kremlin-backed rebels during tour of frontline of the separatist conflict in country's disputed east

  • Ukrainian interior minister and deputies were on tour of the front lines today and came under burst of shellfire
  • Dramatic footage shows the moment a salvo of mortars, followed by artillery, landed just 300m from them
  • They can be seen running for cover of their cars and army's armoured vehicles, and nobody was injured

By Nick Craven In Kiev For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

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Ukraine's interior minister and a group of journalists came under a terrifying burst of shellfire from pro-Russian militants today. 

Denys Monastyrsky, and several deputies (MPs), were on a tour of the Ukrainian front line, hosted by the government to show the international media that nearly all the bombardments were coming from the rebel side, when a salvo of mortars, followed by artillery, landed only 300m away from them.

As they ran for the cover of their cars and the army's armoured vehicles, Radio Liberty's Ukrainian service correspondent Maryan Kushnir, who filmed the clip, could be heard shouting: 'Lie down, lie down,' then 'run, run!....to the car, to the car!'

A breathless Kushnir says to the camera: 'Right now, we're with the minister of internal affairs and they started shooting with mortars, as you can see. 

Dramatic moment militants open fire on the Ukrainian interior minister and journalists in eastern Ukraine on Saturday 

Radio Liberty's Ukrainian service correspondent Maryan Kushnir (pictured), who filmed the clip, could be heard shouting: 'Lie down, lie down,' then 'run, run!....to the car, to the car!'

A breathless Kushnir (pictured) says to the camera: 'Right now, we're with the minister of internal affairs and they started shooting with mortars, as you can see.'

Huge flames and smoke fill the air after a gas pipeline was struck in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion 'within days' 

Servicemen of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic commandant's office watch on during an evacuation of residents to Russia

Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic wait for a train at the Donetsk-2 railway station as they evacuate to Russia's Rostov-on-Don Region on Saturday

Explosions could be heard late on Saturday and early on Sunday in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to a Reuters reporter. Pictured: People walk towards a monument to the Liberators of Donbass in Donetsk

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday. The exercise is being held from February 10 to 20 as part of the second phase of testing response forces of Russia and Belarus

A helicopter is seen flying as Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

'That's the situation, we are being evacuated..we have hidden behind a shelter.'

Then another voice is heard shouting: 'Down! There! Lie Down! Bursting there, quickly! Going out!'

No-one was hurt in the incident and the officials fled to a bomb shelter before leaving the area. 

Later, the Ukraine government revealed that two soldiers were killed and five others wounded in shelling by pro-Russian forces in separate incidents along the line of contact during the day.

Defence minister Oleksil Reznikov said: 'As of 5pm, two of our soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in shelling by Russian forces. 

'The Russian side will continue to evade its ceasefire commitments.

'The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been given all the necessary orders to act in case of danger to our soldiers and civilians. 

'We do not plan any offensives, but we will not allow the firing on the positions of our troops and human settlements with impunity.

'I express my condolences to the families and friends of the victims. 

'I am proud of the resilience of our army. Thank you to the soldiers and commanders for their dedication and courage.' 

Ukrainian troops patrol the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19 - after two soldiers were reportedly killed Saturday by Russian-backed separatists 

Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022

Denys Monastyrsky, and several deputies (MPs), were on a tour of the Ukrainian front line on Saturday, hosted by the government to show the international media that nearly all the bombardments were coming from the rebel side, when a salvo of mortars, followed by artillery, landed only 300m away from them. (Pictured: Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022) 

Civilians receive training from the Ukrainian military at an old industrial plant in the Desnianskyi district outside Kiev on Saturday 

Ukrainian soldiers don balaclavas while training citizens in a district just outside Kiev on Saturday

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during Russian training drills as part of the strategic exercises today

Reservists queue at a mobilisation centre for citizens of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine on Saturday 

A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) reads out names of men registered at a military mobilisation point in a school in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday

A woman evacuated from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine kisses a child in a tent camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

Russian Emergencies Ministry employees transport a bunk bed as they set up a tent camp for people evacuated from the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

A rebel soldier from the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic watches on as residents are evacuated and shipped off to Russia on Saturday 

A man helps a small child put on a glove as they wait for a train at the Donetsk-2 railway station as they evacuate to Russia's Rostov-on-Don Region on Saturday

Women take part in a military exercise for civilians conducted by veterans of the Ukrainian National Guard Azov battalion in Kharkiv, Ukraine on February 19, 2022

Earlier Saturday, separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilisation, amid a spike of violence in the war-torn region and fears in the West that Russia might it as a pretext for an invasion.

Ukraine and the two regions held by the Russia-backed rebels each accused the other of escalation.

Russia on Saturday said at least two shells fired from a government-held part of eastern Ukraine landed across the border.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claim as 'a fake statement'.

Ukraine's military said shelling killed a soldier early Saturday in the government-held part of the Donetsk region and that separatist forces were placing artillery in residential areas to try to provoke a response.

On Friday, the rebels began evacuating civilians to Russia with an announcement that appeared to be part of their and Moscow's efforts to paint Ukraine as the aggressor.

Denis Pushilin, head of the pro-Russian separatist government in the Donetsk region, released a statement on Saturday announcing a full troop mobilisation and urging reservists to show up at military enlistment offices.

A similar announcement quickly followed from Leonid Pasechnik, separatist leader in the Luhansk region.

Mr Pushilin cited an 'immediate threat of aggression' from Ukrainian forces, accusations that Ukrainian officials vehemently denied earlier.

He said: 'I appeal to all the men in the republic who can hold weapons to defend their families, their children, wives, mothers. Together we will achieve the coveted victory that we all need.'

Photos released Saturday show Ukrainian paratroopers taking part in exercises in an undisclosed location in Ukraine 

A Russian nuclear submarine sails in an unknown location during exercises by nuclear forces involving the launch of ballistic missiles, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

Two Tu-22M3 bombers escorted by Su-35 fighters of the Russian air force fly during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks to his comrade walking along a trench on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

A man is seen lying down holding a gun as reservists take part in tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv

A Ukrainian serviceman walks in a yard of a destroyed house on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

A tank travels through mud during a Ukrainian military drill on Saturday as the country braces for a potential Russian invasion 

Ukrainian soldier rests a rocket launcher on his shoulder during a military drill at an unknown location in Ukraine on Saturday - as tensions with Russia reach boiling point

A view of a gas pipeline hit by a blast in Frunze Street, Lugansk, Ukraine on Saturday night. Several gas pipelines were blown up in the region amid escalating tensions in the east of the country

Close up shows flames bursting from an exploded gas pipeline in Lugansk, Ukraine, as tensions with Russia escalated to new heights on Saturday 

Russian and Belarusian servicemen conduct joint drills at a firing range in the Brest region of Belarus

Military helicopters fly over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Russia's Acting Emergencies Minister Alexander Chupriyan (right) visits a tent camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint for evacuees from the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine 

Buses carrying evacuees from Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, arrive at a refugee camp organised at the Kotlostroitel children's health centre in the village of Krasny Desant, Neklinovsky District, Russia

Local residents of pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Donetsk are seen during evacuation process in Rostov region on Saturday

Up to 700,00 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk (pictured: evacuation in Donetsk on Saturday) and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas

Volunteers are seen during mobilisation process in military, at pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine on Saturday

This photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, shows a MiG-31K fighter of the Russian air force carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile parked at an air field during a military drills

A military helicopter flies next to a flock of birds in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea

The announcement came as a mass evacuation of women, children and the elderly from the rebel-held territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to neighbouring Russia got under way. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek a resolution to the crisis.

'I don't know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,' Mr Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference.

Mr Zelenskyy said Russia could pick the location for the talks.

'Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement.'

Meanwhile, an alliance official confirmed on Saturday that NATO is relocating staff from Ukraine's capital Kyiv to Lviv, in the west of the country, and to the Belgian capital Brussels, which hosts NATO's headquarters, for their safety. 

'The safety of our personnel is paramount, so staff have been relocated to Lviv and Brussels. The NATO offices in Ukraine remain operational,' the official told AFP, without giving numbers.  

Several Western countries have already moved diplomats from Kiev to Lviv, located near the border with Poland, in anticipation of Russian military action. 

'Every indication indicates that Russia is planning a full-fledged attack against Ukraine,' NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Saturday.

'We all agree that the risk of an attack is very high,' he told German broadcaster ARD on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The United States dominates NATO, and US President Joe Biden on Friday said he was 'convinced' Russia was going to invade Ukraine within the week, and have its forces target Kyiv.

After weeks of saying the US was not sure if Mr Putin had made the final decision, Mr Biden said that his judgment had changed, citing American intelligence.

Using wooden guns modelled on Kalashnikovs, residents in Kiev receive military training in the event of Russian invasion

Civilians take part in a military training course conducted by a Christian Territorial Defence Unit on February 19, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine

Residents of the Lugansk People's Republic get on a bus at the Lugansk bus terminal before evacuation to Russia's Rostov-on-Don Region late on Friday night 

Evacuees from the Donetsk People's Republic arrive Saturday at a refugee camp organised at the Kotlostroitel children's health centre in the village of Krasny Desant, Neklinovsky, Russia

A car bomb sparked 'false flag' fears after it exploded near the headquarters of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic. Just hours later a fireball was seen lighting up the sky after an international oil pipeline running through the key rebel-held city of Luhansk blew up. The blast rocked the Druzhba pipeline which runs from Russia to various points in eastern and central Europe. On Thursday a shell blew a hole through the wall of kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (pictured) warned that the risk of an attack is 'very high', echoing US warnings that Russian troops dotted along Ukraine's border are 'uncoiling' and 'poised to strike'

The Russian leader is personally overseeing the nuclear exercises involving 'strategic forces' which will include practice launches

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees are streaming into Russia today after Putin's allies ordered a mass evacuation

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released.

In this photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on February 19, 2022, a Russian marine takes his position during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus

'As of this moment, I'm convinced he's made the decision,' the US leader said. 'We have reason to believe that.'

He reiterated that the assault could occur in the 'coming days'. 

Ukraine is not a member of NATO, and the alliance does not have any forces there, but since the late 1990s it has maintained two offices in Kyiv - a NATO Liaison Office and a NATO Information and Documentation Centre.

The liaison office's job is keep up dialogue between NATO and Ukraine's government while encouraging a democratic transformation of Ukraine's defence and security sector.

According to NATO's website, it consisted of a civilian head leading a mixed team of NATO military and civilian personnel. The web page, last updated in 2016, said there were a total of 16 staff.

The NATO Information and Documentation Centre's number of personnel was not disclosed. 

Its job was to inform the Ukrainian public about NATO and support Ukrainian institutions in their communications.

NATO chief Stoltenberg has previously said that the alliance will not deploy any forces into Ukraine to defend it from any Russian aggression.

But NATO members have sent forces to neighbouring countries which are alliance members, and Stoltenberg has said NATO member countries will vigorously react to any Russian action in those territories, under its collective defence pact.

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