Ukraine peace largely intact apart from key railway hub

A ceasefire that went into effect yesterday in eastern Ukraine appeared largely to be holding, officials said, except for around the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve.

Heavy fog shrouding sodden fields muffled the sound of artillery, but regular shelling could still be heard from Luhansk, a town about 15km to the northwest.

The ceasefire has kindled slender hopes of reprieve from the conflict between government troops and Russian-backed separatists that has claimed more than 5,300 lives since it began in April.