Just one day after the Russian Duma (Parliament) voted to recognize Luhansk and Donetsk as independent, the Ukrainian Army fired Mortars and grenades into four locations in Luhansk.  The attack took place at 2:30 AM local time in Luhansk, which is seven (7) hours ahead of the US east coast, meaning the attack took place around 7:30 PM here on the east coast.

Also late Wednesday night here on the US east coast, reports are now coming in claiming the Ukrainian military is shelling the territory of the DPR using heavy mortars of 120 mm caliber.  It is early morning over there as these reports are coming in.

EARLIER

On Wednesday morning, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said  "It is highly probable that Kyiv will embark on a combat operation in Donbas."

Also on Wednesday, RIA news service in Moscow reported that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation is launching an investigation into mass graves containing the dead bodies of 295 civilians found in Donbas.

Russian media reporting 'thwarted terror attack' in Donbas

In addition, the Russian TASS news site reported that an attempted terrorist attack had been thwarted in Luhansk, a city controlled by pro-Russian separatists in the disputed Donbas region, on Tuesday.

The report claimed that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian special services may have been involved in the planned attack.

There's a video being circulated among pro-separatist sources that shows the "IED".

You make of that what you will... pic.twitter.com/OpqV3gu3gf

— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) February 15, 2022

According to the report, an improvised explosive device was discovered in a trash can in the city where a rally for the Russian Memorial Day of soldiers-internationalists, which commemorates those soldiers who fell while operating abroad, was planned.

The Ministry of State Security of the Luhansk People's Republic stated that the alleged explosive device could have caused civilian casualties if it had not been found and neutralized.