April 5, 2021:-There has been a significant uptick in tensions between both countries Russia and Ukraine, in the last weeks, which prompt concerns that there could be a revival in the military conflict between the neighboring countries.

Since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, there have been ongoing skirmishes between Ukraine’s troops and pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine. The fighting, which has been punctuated by periods of the cease-fire, is believed to have killed nearly 14,000 people.

The previous week, Ukraine said four of its soldiers were killed by shelling by Russian forces in Donbas.

In March, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ruslan Khomchak, said that Russia’s “armed aggression” in the Donbas was a “major threat” to Ukraine’s national security but all NATO allies. He also said that there had been a buildup of Russian troops assembling near the border earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Russia’s actions have not gone unnoticed in the U.S; The state department said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity “in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression.”

 Blinken “expressed concern about the security situation in eastern Ukraine while speaking to Ukraine’s foreign minister and offered condolences on the loss of four Ukrainian soldiers,” the statement said.

For its part, On Wednesday, the Kremlin said it was concerned about rising tensions in eastern Ukraine and that it feared Kyiv’s forces could do something to begin a conflict.

“We express concern over the growing tension and express concern that some way, the Ukrainian side could take provocative actions that would lead to war. According to Reuters, we don’t want to see that,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“I mean a civil war, which they’re already was there,” Peskov said when asked to clarify on a conference call with reporters.

By Friday lunchtime, the U.S. dollar was trading higher against the Russian ruble at 76.2350, up 0.85% for the session.