Pro-Russia rebels are accused of "provocation" by Ukraine after reports of shelling near the border.

• On Thursday, pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine allegedly fired on civilian areas, causing damage to a kindergarten.
• On Thursday, RIA, a Russian-controlled media agency, reported that Ukrainian forces had shelled land held by pro-Moscow separatists.
• Moscow may use false claims about the conflict in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for an invasion of the country, according to a warning from the U.S.

On Thursday, pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine allegedly fired on civilian areas, causing damage to a kindergarten.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the shelling of a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska by pro-Russian forces as a big provocation on Twitter on Thursday. He emphasized the importance of diplomats and the OSCE remaining in Ukraine, stating that their monitoring activities serve as an additional deterrent.

According to Reuters, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense announced that the shelling had ceased at 1 p.m. local time.

On Facebook, the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation announced that pro-Russian separatists had shelled 22 settlements in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, resulting in injuries to civilians and military personnel.

The shelling carried out by terrorists resulted in the damage of kindergartens and communal infrastructure, leaving half of the village without electricity.

The JFO stated that three of the kindergarten's employees were injured, and children and caregivers had been evacuated.

On Thursday, a school building with students and teachers inside was damaged by shelling, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Fortunately, no one was injured in the attack.

Russian mercenaries were accused by the ministry of opening fire in several locations in eastern Ukraine using artillery and grenades, with the ministry claiming that Russian occupation forces had committed 29 cease-fire violations by 11 a.m. local time.

The JFO stated that Ukrainian defenders fired to halt the enemy's fire.

CNBC could not confirm the authenticity of the photos and video footage released by the kindergarten, which claimed to have been hit by ammunition.

‘Crucial moment’

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken altered his travel plans at the last minute due to reports of violence and will address the U.N. Security Council on Ukraine before heading to Munich.

According to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, there is evidence on the ground indicating that Russia is preparing for an imminent invasion. This, she stated, is a critical juncture.

Earlier Thursday, RIA, a Russian-controlled media agency, claimed that Ukrainian forces had shelled territory held by pro-Moscow separatists. Kyiv denied the reports, which CNBC has been unable to verify.

On Thursday, Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, stated through PA Media that the attack on the kindergarten was a "false flag operation aimed at discrediting the Ukrainians."

He added, "We are very concerned that we will see more of that in the coming days."

Near the Russian border, the eastern part of Ukraine has been the site of ongoing low-level fighting for years. The OSCE has consistently reported violations of the cease-fire in this region during the eight-year conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of approximately 13,000 individuals.

‘False claims’ could precede invasion, U.S. warns

On Thursday, there were reports of increased violence, which came after the U.S. issued warnings that Moscow might use fabricated information about the conflict as a justification for an invasion of Ukraine.

Russian officials and media have been spreading false stories in the press that could be used as a pretext for an invasion, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who made the statement on Wednesday.

Russia's partial pullback of troops from the border had not been confirmed by the United States, as he reiterated.

The Russian Federation has not shown any signs of deescalating the crisis, as more Russian forces are being deployed at the border and moving into fighting positions, according to the statement.

As many as 7,000 troops have joined those already near the border in recent days, after Western officials accused Moscow of sending "mixed signals" over its position on Ukraine.

Despite denying plans to invade, Russia has accumulated over 100,000 soldiers, tanks, missiles, and blood supplies at the Ukrainian border.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin released footage of military units returning to their permanent deployments after exercises near the border, but Western officials claim that Russia's troop count at the border is actually increasing, not decreasing.

Security guarantees

Recently, Russia has made several security demands to the U.S. and NATO, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join the organization and that the NATO presence in Eastern Europe be reduced.

The U.S. responded to Russia's proposals last month, reiterating its previous rejections of those demands.

The Russian government on Thursday responded to proposals by stating that "withdrawing troops from specific regions on Russian territory is unacceptable and harms the chances of achieving genuine agreements."

Moscow demanded that the West cease arming Ukraine and withdraw its military presence from countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, as reported by state media.

Russia repeated earlier claims that it had no intention of invading Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Russia's Duma passed a resolution requesting President Putin to declare Donetsk and Luhansk, regions backed by Moscow, as independent states.

On Wednesday, both the Ukrainian government and Blinken stated that a Russian withdrawal from the Minsk agreements would be equivalent to such a move.

The Minsk Accords, aimed at ending the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, were signed by representatives from Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, and pro-Russian separatists in 2014 and 2015.

Contrary to an earlier version of this story, CNBC has not independently verified early reports of shelling in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.