FIGHTING IN EAST UKRAINE RAGES AHEAD OF CEASEFIRE

DONETSK: Ferocious fighting raged in Ukraine on Saturday, threatening a ceasefire deal as Kiev and the US accused Russia of fuelling a rebel onslaught to grab territory before the truce started.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko warned that continuing bombardments that killed dozens had plunged a peace plan reached in Minsk after marathon talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin into “big danger” before it even got off the ground.

“After Minsk the offensive operation of Russia intensified significantly,” Poroshenko said late Friday, speaking in English.

“After what we have reached in Minsk, it is an attack not only on Ukrainian civilians, but also on the Minsk results,” he added, following the shelling of the town of Artemivsk that killed three people including a seven-year-old.

The ceasefire, due to take effect from 2200 GMT on Saturday, will be the first test of the commitment by Kiev and pro-Russian separatists to the freshly-inked peace plan.

But with Kiev and Washington claiming Russia was spearheading a separatist push to conquer more territory and government forces digging in, there were fears over the truce would be observed at all.

The UN Security Council is expected to meet on Sunday for an emergency session to shore up the ceasefire deal, diplomats said.

The US said the Russian military had deployed large amounts of artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems and was using them to shell Ukrainian positions.

State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US had received reports of heavy weapons being moved into eastern Ukraine from Russia.