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Violations alleged as Ukraine truce comes into force
Violations alleged as Ukraine truce comes into force
Government forces and pro-Russia separatists accuse each other of violating a ceasefire, only hours after it began.
The Ukrainian government and pro-Russia rebels have exchanged accusations of fresh attacks only hours into the ceasefire agreed by them, officials from the warring sides have said.
The ceasefire is seen as a first step in a peace plan aimed at ending 10 months of conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Within two hours into the ceasefire, which came into effect on Saturday at midnight local time or 2200 GMT, Kiev reported attacks by pro-Russian separatists in the Luhansk area.
“Pro-Russian militants used artillery, mortars and grenade launchers to attack the Ukrainian positions … near Zolote, Sanzharivka, Popasna, Chornukhine by 2am,” saidtweets by Ukrainian army early on Sunday.
A pro-Kiev official said that two civilians were killed by rockets fired by rebels shortly after the start of the ceasefire, but most of the frontline had fallen silent.
An elderly man and woman died after Grad missile fire hit the town of Popasna in the Lugansk region about 20 minutes after the truce came into force, local governor Gennadiy Moskal said.
The firing reportedly came from an area that Kiev says is under the command of a renegade group of Cossack fighters who insist they will not obey the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, rebels accused the Ukrainians of deploying artillery shortly after midnight, the AP said.
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Ukraine fighting continues as ceasefire looms
Ukraine fighting continues as ceasefire looms
Fierce fighting breaks out in country’s east amid claims by the United States that Russia is deploying heavy arms.
Fierce fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels has ensued just hours before a February 15 ceasefire, signed by European leaders, takes effect.
Friday’s fighting in eastern Ukraine cast doubts on the ceasefire and came as the United States accused Russia of deploying heavy arms to eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kiev warned that shelling of civilians in the rebel-held areas in the east had intensified.
Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president, said continuing bombardment of civilians by pro-Russian separatist rebels was already undermining the peace plan reached in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on Thursday.
The deal was negotiated by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany.
At least 28 civilians and soldiers were reported killed in the latest upsurge in fighting.
Poroshenko expressed pessimism about the prospects for the ceasefire deal.
“Unfortunately after the Minsk agreement, Russia’s offensive has significantly increased. We still think that the agreement is in great danger,” he said during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“After what we concluded in Minsk, these are not only attacks against civilians but also against the Minsk agreement.”
The ceasefire, due to take effect from 22:00 GMT Saturday, will be the first test of the commitment by Kiev and pro-Russian separatists to the new peace plan.
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The Terms Of The Ukraine Cease-Fire: Presenting “East Ukraine”
The Terms Of The Ukraine Cease-Fire: Presenting “East Ukraine”
Following marathon talks in Minsk that lasted more than 17 hours, the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement that appears to align with the Kremlin’s demands. The document calls for a cease-fire to begin Feb. 15, the withdrawal of weapons and the enactment of constitutional reforms in Ukraine.Though Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has denied that the agreement includes provisions for the creation of autonomous regions or the federalization of Ukraine, the document on the whole does fulfill several of the Kremlin’s long-standing demands with regards to the status of Donbas.
The new cease-fire agreement is based largely on the original one that went into effect Sept. 5. It focuses on the withdrawal of heavy artillery systems, which have been prominent throughout the conflict, within 14 days of the cease-fire’s implementation.The new cease-fire requires these artillery systems to be withdrawn far beyond their maximum effective ranges, a move that will create a buffer to prevent escalation and heavy artillery fire on the demarcation line. Missing from the agreement, however, is a decision on the fate of the still heavily contested Ukrainian positions in Debaltseve. Because both sides will have to withdraw their artillery systems, the result will be a very deep area without artillery cover in the center of the demarcation line.
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