Ukraine sees no significant uptick in Donbass fighting as of now

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine has not seen any significant increase in fighting in the eastern Donbass region in the last few days, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Friday, despite escalating tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

There are heightened worries in Ukraine that Russia may be planning to ramp up fighting in the war between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine after Moscow accused Kiev this week of trying to provoke a conflict over Crimea.

"In the last few days we do not see any significant increase in fighting," Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told a televised briefing. "Unfortunately the ceasefire has not been observed by the illegal armed groups but the average number of shellings is pretty much at the same level."

(Reporting by Alexei Kalmykov; editing by Matthias Williams and Gareth Jones)