EXPLAINER: Russia-backed rebels a thorn in Ukraine’s side

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions have also soared in the country’s east, where Ukrainian forces are locked in a nearly eight-year conflict with Russia-backed separatists. A sharp increase in skirmishes on Thursday raised fears that Moscow could use the situation as a pretext for an incursion. More than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine since the conflict there erupted in April 2014. The Kremlin has hoped that a 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine would allow the rebel regions to influence Ukraine’s politics and prevent it from joining NATO. Moscow has worked to strengthen its sway over the regions by handing over Russian passports to its residents.