In the worst day of ceasefire violations since it began in September four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 14 wounded on Thursday.

With events on the front getting even hotter President Petro Poroshenko handed over armoured vehicles to the OSCE ceasefire monitors.

Ever since the election in the eastern Donbass region attacks and artillery exchanges have multiplied.

“The Ukrainian-Russian border, under independent OSCE monitoring, is repeatedly crossed by regular Russian forces. The past few days have clearly proved that drones being used by the OSCE mission were shot at by rebels from territory which is not under the control of Ukrainian troops,” said Poroshenko.

There is now widespread international acceptance that Russia is interfering militarily in Ukraine, yet at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow this is propaganda and lies.

“I’m telling you very frankly and officially as well that there are no military forces or military movement across the border, and moreover we have no troops in Ukraine, in its south-east. There have never been, and there are none now,” said spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.

The Ukrainian army is currently redeploying to the east as the defence ministry says it believes an offensive is imminent, but it repeats it maintains a defensive posture and is only authorised to fire if fired upon.

The UN Security Council has warned it fears a resumption of “total war” in Ukraine.