Kremlin-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine formally ask Putin for military forces to fight Ukraine

• Moscow-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine formally requested Russian military assistance on Wednesday.
• The move comes after Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said Moscow-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine have asked Russia for military assistance to fight off Ukrainian "aggression," just hours after Ukraine declared a nationwide state of emergency amid rising fears of an imminent Russian invasion.

The move comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the independence of two Kremlin-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, the self-described "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk, reversing Russia's years-long stance on the region and marking a possible lead-up to a major offensive.

On Tuesday, Russian lawmakers granted Putin powers to use military force outside of the country.

In letters reportedly sent to Putin and published by the Russian-state TASS news agency, the Russia-backed rebel leaders requested Russian intervention in an effort to "avoid civilian casualties and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe."

A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the letters, which were dated Tuesday, saying the rebel chiefs requested aid after purported Ukrainian shelling resulted in civilian deaths and ruined infrastructure.

Earlier this week, however, Ukraine accused Russia of "provocative shelling" as a guise for invasion. A senior Ukrainian government source told Reuters that the amount of shelling was unusual.

"It is not typical. It looks a lot like a provocation," they said.

Ukrainian officials responded to the rebel leaders' letters on Wednesday, requesting an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, according to Dmytro Kuleba, minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, who called the move a "further escalation of the security situation."

The White House also responded to the letters, saying the request exemplified the type of "false flag" operations the West has been warning of for weeks, according to The Associated Press.

US intelligence has indicated that Russian operatives trained in sabotage are in a position to deploy false-flag operations in eastern Ukraine, which Russia could then use to justify military action against the country.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Kremlin's announcement is an example of such an operation, saying the US will "continue to call out what we see as false flag operations or efforts to spread misinformation about what the actual status is on the ground," the AP reported.

The letters parrot Putin's false claims that Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine are victims of genocide — more possible justification for an impending attack or invasion.

The rebel chief's formal requests on Wednesday suggest direct military involvement by Russia in eastern Ukraine could be imminent, as the international stage prepares for an all-out invasion in Ukraine.