U.S.: war seems imminent after shelling in Ukraine

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"Mr. President, how high is the threat of a Russian invasion right now?"

"It's very high."

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday there was now every indication Russia was planning to invade Ukraine.

His comments came after reports Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels traded fire across a tense front line, and America’s top diplomat warned the flare-up could be used as a pretext by Moscow to send in troops.

"Our information indicates clearly that these forces, including ground troops, aircraft, ships, are preparing to launch an attack against Ukraine in the coming days."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the UN Security Council that American intelligence believed Russia was ready to choreograph a false justification to launch its attack.

"It could be a fabricated, so-called 'terrorist bombing' inside Russia; the invented discovery of a mass grave; a staged drone-strike against civilians; or a fake - even a real - attack using chemical weapons."

Blinken pleaded with Moscow to choose diplomacy over conflict.

"Diplomacy is the only responsible way to resolve this crisis."

Russia denies planning to invade its neighbor and said this week it was pulling back some of the more than 100,000 troops it has massed near the frontier.

And Russia's defense ministry on Thursday released a video statement claiming more Russian units were leaving the area near the border.

But Washington says Russia is not withdrawing, and was in fact sending more forces.

Biden told reporters a Russian attack could be imminent.

"My sense is this will happen within the next several days."

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels gave conflicting accounts of shelling across the front in the Donbass separatist region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the pro-Russian forces had shelled a kindergarten, in what he called a "big provocation."

The separatists, for their part, accused government forces of opening fire on their territory four times in the past 24 hours.

The details could not be established independently.

Video footage released by Ukrainian police showed a hole through a brick wall in a room scattered with debris and children's toys. Separate images showed emergency workers escorting small children and teachers from a building.