Ceasefire begins after fierce fighting in Debaltseve
DONETSK, Ukraine: A ceasefire inUkrainewascautiouslyobserved by both sides early yesterday, despite accusations by Kiev and the US that Russia had fuelled a final push by rebels to gain territory before the deadline.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered troops to abide by the truce from midnight, in line with a deal reached in Minsk earlier this week with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France.
No fresh fighting was reported in eastern Ukraine after the truce went into force, according to AFP reportersonthegroundandofficial sources.
But i n comments broadcast live on television, Poroshenko added that the peace process was already ‘threatened’ by proRussian separatists who have surrounded Ukrainian forces in the battleground town of Debaltseve.
Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to underscore ‘the importance of full implementation’ of peace agreements, including the ceasefire. Kerry also “expressed concern about the fierce fighting around Debaltseve, and efforts by Russia and the separatists to cut off the town in advance of the ceasefire,” a senior State Department official said.
In the hours before the ceasefire deadline, Kiev loyalist and regional police chief Vyacheslav Abroskin said constant artillery bombardments were razing Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub where Ukrainian forces were hanging on.
“There are non-stop artillery bombardments of residential areas and buildings. The town is in flames,” Abroskin wrote on Facebook. Ukraine’s Azov volunteer battalion also reported fierce clashes just to the east of the vital government-held port city of Mariupol and said that the village of Shyrokyne had been ‘practically destroyed’ by shelling.
The ceasefire is the first test of the commitment by Kiev and proRussianseparatiststothepeaceplan signed Thursday after marathon talks between Poroshenko, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, GermanChancellorAngelaMerkel and French President Francois Hollande. Saturday’s surge in fighting cast doubt on the deal but Putin was said to have re-affirmed his commitment to the ceasefire in a phone call with Merkel and Hollande.
“Putin said the rebels were ready for the ceasefire,” the French presidency said in a statement.
Donetsk rebel chief Alexander Zakharchenko – viewed by the West as a Russian puppet – earlier ordered his fighters to respect the truce but to ward off any attacks ‘with all force and means’. The fragility of the truce was further highlighted when Zakharchenko warned that any attemptsbyencircled Ukraine troops to escape Debaltseve after the ceasefire will be viewed as an act of aggression. The UN Security Council is expected to meet on Sunday for an emergency session to shore up the Ukraine peace deal, diplomats said. — AFP