<p>KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military said Tuesday that two of its servicemen were killed within 24 hours in the country’s east, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and where tensions have intensified in recent weeks. </p>
<p>The two military members sustained fatal gunshot wounds as a result of a “hostile fire," the Joint Forces Operation reported. </p>
<p>Firefights have occurred sporadically since tensions in eastern Ukraine escalated in late February. Ukraine’s military reported on March 26 that four of its soldiers died in a mortar attack, the most significant violation this year of a ceasefire that had led to a decline in fighting. </p>
<p>In the past 24 hours, seven firefights took place along the line of contact, the Ukrainian military said. </p>
<p>More than 14,000 people have died in the eastern Ukraine conflict since 2014. </p>
<p>Officials in Kyiv and the West expressed concerns over reports of a troop buildup along Russia’s borders with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia last week of “muscle-flexing in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border." </p>
<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the troop movements “shouldn’t cause the slightest concern” and that Russia doesn’t pose a threat “to any country in the world, including Ukraine.” </p>
<p>Peskov said “the Russian army is moving on the Russian territory in directions it deems necessary…in order to ensure security of our country.” </p>
<p>But Zelenskiy, in a phone conversation with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson late Monday, argued that “Russia’s recent actions pose a serious challenge to the security of Ukraine, NATO member states and the whole of Europe," according to a readout of the call released by Kyiv. </p>
<p>A readout from Johnson’s office said the two leaders discussed the U.K.’s “significant concerns about the recent Russian military activity on Ukraine’s border and in illegally-annexed Crimea.” </p>
<p>NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he called Zelenskiy on Tuesday to express the bloc’s “serious concerns” about Russia’s military activities.</p>
<p>“NATO firmly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We remain committed to our close partnership,” Stoltenberg tweeted. </p>
<p>Zelenskiy, in turn, stressed the importance of Ukraine joining a program for prospective NATO members, saying that participating in the alliance’s Membership Action Plan program could be “a real signal for Russia.”</p>
