RT News - February 23 2022 (17:00 MSK)

The Donbass standoff heats up, with a powerful explosion going off near a TV station in Donetsk and the newly-recognized Republic accusing Ukraine, of ratcheting-up its shelling attacks. The leader of the Donetsk People's Republic denies Western reports of Russian troops entering the region but says they could be brought in if the conflict escalates. Western powers hit Russia with a wave of sanctions while Moscow says soaring energy prices are going to hurt consumers worldwide. More than 90,000 have fled the Donbass in recent days by crossing the border into neighboring Russia. RT speaks to some of the refugees.