White House says Russia could launch an attack against Ukraine at any time

Representative image (Image: AFP)

The White House on Saturday said that Russia could launch an attack against Ukraine at any time and said U.S. President Joe Biden will convene a National Security Council meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation.

Russia's strategic nuclear forces held exercises overseen by President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, and Washington accused Russian troops massed near Ukraine's border of advancing and being "poised to strike."

Almost 2,000 ceasefire violations logged in eastern Ukraine - diplomatic source

Almost 2,000 ceasefire violations were registered in eastern Ukraine by monitors for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Saturday, a diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday.

Ukrainian government and separatist forces have been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014. An upsurge in shelling has thrust the region to the centre of tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.

Multiple loud explosions heard in centre of rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine

Multiple explosions could be heard late on Saturday and early on Sunday in the centre of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a Reuters reporter said.

The origin of the explosions was not clear. There was no immediate comment from separatist authorities or from Kyiv.