INTERNATIONAL: The United Nations Secretary General has expressed concerns about reports of increased ceasefire violations, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has told reporters on Monday ,February 21, and has urged the use of diplomacy amid fears of a Russian invasion in Ukraine.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General , Stephane Dujarric , says that the United Nations are particularly concerned regarding reports of civilian casualties, targeting of civilian infrastructure and evacuations. U.N. underline or call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, maximum restraint and for all parties to avoid any action and statements that would escalate tensions further. All issues must be addressed through diplomacy.

His remarks came as President Vladimir Putin has railed against Ukraine in a televised address on Monday, saying that neo-Nazis were on the rise, oligarchic clans were rife and that the ex-Soviet country was a U.S. colony with a puppet regime.

Washington says Russia has massed a force numbering 169,000-190,000 troops in the region, including the rebels in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk- collectively known as the Donbass - and could invade within days.

Russia denies any plan to attack its neighbor but has threatened unspecified "military-technical" action unless it receives sweeping security guarantees, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO.