10:30 on February 17, the Russian satellite news agency reported that Ukrainian armed forces fired mortar shells and grenades at four settlements in Luhansk region. The news spurred U. S. stock futures lower and crude oil prices higher.

RIA Novosti also mentioned that Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine said Ukrainian government forces had shelled their territory with mortars.

In fact, there has been a lot of fighting in eastern Ukraine so far this year. January 12, 2022, according to the Russian "Izvestia" quoted Donetsk militia news agency statement, since January 10, Ukrainian troops frequently shelled Donbass, shelling seven times in just 24 hours.

The Donbass region spans two Ukrainian states: the central and northern part of Donetsk and the southern part of Luhansk, covering an area of about 60,000 square kilometers. According to statistics, Russian native speakers account for the majority of the local population in the Donbass region, and ethnic Russians account for about 40% of the population.

In April 2014, there were bloody clashes between civil forces and Ukrainian government forces in Donetsk and Luhansk prefectures, and the civilian armed forces subsequently announced the establishment of the "Donetsk people's Republic" and the "Luhansk people's Republic". Through the mediation of the international community, the parties to the conflict reached a ceasefire agreement in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in September 2014 and February 2015, respectively. Since then, large-scale armed conflicts have been brought under control, but small-scale exchanges have occurred from time to time.

According to People's Daily's National Human History magazine, the two places are rich in coal resources. Kharkov is the second largest city in Ukraine and the center of eastern Ukraine, as well as the center of Ukraine's heavy industry, culture and education. Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence and turned to Russia, which is unacceptable to Ukraine. The independence of the two places has put Ukraine's rule in Kharkiv in jeopardy, and Crimea in the south joined Russia in 2014. The situation in this region is even more dangerous.

Stimulated by the news, the dollar index rose more than 20 points in the short term to stand above the 96 mark. Us stock futures fell rapidly, while the Nasdaq futures fell rapidly to 1 per cent.

International oil prices rose in the short term. As of press time, the drop in oil distribution narrowed to 0.46% to US $94.37.

At the time of the escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Russian State Duma adopted the draft resolution on Donbass.

According to the Global Times, on February 15, the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) voted for a draft resolution calling on President Putin to recognize the self-established "Donetsk people's Republic" and "Luhansk people's Republic" in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

According to a report in the Russian newspaper Izvestia on the 16th, the draft resolution received 351 votes for and 16 votes against, with one abstaining. In the draft resolution, the parliamentarians asked Putin to consider recognizing the independence of the "Donetsk people's Republic" and the "Luhansk people's Republic" and to hold talks with the leaders of the two "republics" as soon as possible, in order to establish a legal basis for Russia's relations with the two "republics." The draft resolution was submitted to the State Duma by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation on January 19. Kalashnikov, a member of the Russian State Duma and one of the drafters of the draft, said that the adoption of the draft resolution does not mean that Russia has recognized the two "republics" in the Donbass region, but only made recommendations to Putin, and it is up to Putin to decide whether to recognize it or not.

The Ukrainian government has also taken a hard line on Russia, demanding that Russia stop supporting civilian forces in the Donbass region. Russia has been paying close attention to the situation in the Donbass region. Putin signed a decree in April 2019 to simplify procedures for local residents to obtain Russian passports. Russia's "arguments and facts" weekly report said that by the beginning of 2021, 860000 residents of the Donbass region had obtained Russian passports in this way.