Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Group calls for cease-fire amid upsurge in Ukraine fighting
AVDIIVKA, Ukraine — Freezing residents of an eastern Ukraine town battered by an upsurge in fighting between government troops and Russiabacked rebels flocked to a humanitarian aid center Wednesday to receive food and warm up.
Heavy fighting around government-held Avdiivka, just north of the rebel-stronghold city of Donetsk, began over the weekend and persisted into early Wednesday. Donetsk city also was hit.
At least 10 people have been killed since Monday and dozens wounded.
The Ukrainian government and the rebels have blamed each other for the eruption of hostilities, the worst in months. Both sides have moved heavy artillery, rockets and tanks close to the front line in clear violation of a peace deal struck in February 2015.
An urgent meeting of the so-called Contact Group, which brings together representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the rebels along with the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe, ended Wednesday in Minsk, Belarus. The group called for the opposing sides to cease fire and urged them to pull back their heavy weapons by the end of the week.
Russia and Ukraine also traded accusations Wednesday over an incident involving a Ukrainian military aircraft flying over a Russian-operated gas rig in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian presidential spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko said the aircraft was fired upon while flying near two offshore gas rigs Wednesday. He posted a picture on Facebook showing a hole in the plane.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet rejected the claim. It said the Ukrainian plane made two “provocatively” low runs over the Russian rigs, and a security officer fired a flare gun four times to drive it away, but that the flares posed no danger.