Ceasefire under threat as Independence Day imminent

A fragile ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists came under renewed pressure yesterday with the Ukrainian military reporting a serviceman had been killed and seven others wounded in rebel attacks.

Ukraine’s military says a ceasefire had been fully observed in eastern separatist territories overnight, but warned that pro-Russian rebels were using the truce to regroup for new attacks on government positions.

Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatist forces have drawn back some heavy weapons from the front line in the east in compliance with a ceasefire deal, although officials in Kiev accused rebels of falling short of requirements.

No casualties as hopes that long-awaited ceasefire will hold

Ukrainian military and separatist representatives exchanged dozens of prisoners under cover of darkness at a remote frontline location, kicking off a process intended to usher in peace to the conflict-ridden east.

Ukraine’s military and Russia-backed separatist rebels have accused each other of continuing to mount attacks a week after a ceasefire was called.

For the rebel fighters who seized control of the strategic town Ukraine of Debaltseve, it was a day of jubilation and bragging of victory.

A Ukrainian military spokesman says more than 90% of its forces have been withdrawn from the fiercely contested town of Debaltseve and its surroundings.

A number of artillery attacks have hit areas near the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, as the deadline for a ceasefire creeps closer, officials said.

Fierce fighting surged in eastern Ukraine yesterday as Russian-backed separatists mounted a major, sustained offensive to capture a strategic railway hub ahead of a weekend ceasefire deadline. At least 25 people were killed across the region, officials reported.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has intensified ahead of much-anticipated peace talks, with both sides claiming significant advances and the government accusing rebels of shelling a town far behind the front line.

Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Thirty civilians were killed, and scores more wounded, by a small number of unguided Grad rockets launched by pro-Russian separatists, at the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Saturday.

Europe Correspondent

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Deadly rocket attacks on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol that “knowingly targeted civilians” broke international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes, the United Nations’ political chief has said.

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Indiscriminate rocket fire has hit a market, schools, homes and shops in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, killing at least 30 people, authorities said.

A crowded open-air market and nearby homes in Ukraine’s coastal city of Mariupol came under rocket fire today, killing at least 16 people, city authorities said.

Police in Ukraine say 10 people have been killed following shelling in the eastern port of Mariupol.

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Ukraine is “still in a state of war” with neighbouring Russia despite a cease-fire between Kiev’s forces and Moscow-backed rebels in the east, the country’s prime minister said shortly after a second convoy of Russian trucks rolled into Ukraine.

A ceasefire between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government troops appeared to be largely holding in eastern Ukraine, a day after shelling and clashes rattled nerves and imperilled the peace deal.

Clashes broke out outside the main rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine, throwing the freshly forged ceasefire deal between government troops and Russian-backed separatists into further doubt.

Clashes have broken out outside the main rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine, throwing the freshly forged ceasefire agreement between government troops and Russian-backed separatists into further doubt.

Witnesses in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol reported sustained explosions outside the city last night, and a volunteer battalion of Ukrainian fighters says Grad rockets were fired at its positions.

Ukraine and the Russian-backed rebels have signed a ceasefire deal that starts this afternoon, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) confirmed.

Shelling resounded on the outskirts of a key Ukrainian port as Russian-backed rebels pressed their south-east offensive, just hours ahead of talks that are widely hoped to bring a ceasefire.

Ukraine and the pro-Russian separatists appear increasingly close to signing a deal to end four months of fighting.

Russia’s foreign minister has warned that Ukraine’s Nato ambitions are threatening to derail peace talks in eastern Ukraine.

EU leaders sent a clear message to Russia to step back from the brink of war in Ukraine when they unanimously agreed to make Poland’s prime minister their chief.

The Ukrainian military said yesterday that more Russian soldiers had crossed the border into eastern Ukraine, entering the small town of Amvrosiyivka in five armoured infantry carriers and a truck.

A town in east Ukraine has come under shellfire by pro-Russian rebels amid fears they are launching a counter-offensive on government-held parts of the region.

The news that the Ukrainian military is battling rebel armoured vehicles that crossed from Russia and headed towards Mariupol does not auger well for today’s meeting between Russian and Ukrainian presidents in Minsk. It suggests that Russia is determined to copper-fasten its authority in the region. The Ukraine’s response, and that of its allies, will shape events, but it seems difficult to predict a peaceful outcome.

Sustained gunfire was heard throughout the night near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, the stronghold of pro-Russia fighters, ahead of a second round of European-brokered talks today aimed at resolving the crisis.

Pro-Moscow rebels expressed confidence that eastern Ukraine had chosen self-rule in a referendum yesterday, with some saying that meant independence and others eventual union with Russia as fighting flared.

President Vladimir Putin flew in to Crimea yesterday for the first time since it was annexed by Moscow, proclaiming as he marked the Soviet victory in the Second World War that incorporating the former Ukrainian territory had made Russia stronger.

Police have cleared a city hall in south-eastern Ukraine of pro-Russian protesters who had been occupying it for more than a week, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said today.