Ukraine ceasefire threatened
Fighting near city held by pro-Russian rebels
DONETSK: Intensive artillery fire broke out yesterday near the rebel-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, apparently breaking an internationally brokered ceasefire between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government, a reporter said.
The sound of explosions began at 9am (1am Thai time) and appeared to come from the area of Donetsk airport, a once important Ukrainian air hub which was captured by rebels in January and has been destroyed in fighting.
Under a ceasefire that took effect on Feb 15, both sides were meant to withdraw all heavy weapons and to stop shooting. Sporadic clashes have continued near Donetsk and the government-held port city of Mariupol, but overall the rate of fighting has sharply declined.
On Saturday two Ukrainian soldiers and one civilian were killed in the country’s rebel-held east, presumably by rebels.
“Over the last 24 hours we have lost two soldiers and seven were injured,” Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told reporters.
Rebel military representative Eduard Basurin also announced that a civilian was killed and one injured after tripping a bomb in Vuglegirsk, a separatist-controlled town 35km northeast of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, on Thursday.
Mr Basurin accused Kiev forces of injuring three civilians — a man, woman and a child — when they fired on Donetsk’s Petrovsky district with a 120mm mortar late on Friday.
According to both sides, skirmishes continued to flare around Shyrokyne, a village close to the strategic port of Mariupol, Kiev’s largest remaining stronghold in the rebel-held east.
Separatists claim to control around 30% of the village, with many Ukrainians fearing Mariupol could become the focus of any new offensive in a conflict that has already claimed more than 6,000 lives in 11 months.
Fighting also broke out around the ruins of Donetsk airport, which rebels took in January following months of fierce fighting.
Mr Lysenko reported two clashes close to the airport, near the village of Opytne, and 15 sightings of enemy drones around Mariupol and Lugansk, another separatist bulwark. Both sides accused each other of violating the Minsk peace accords, which were signed last month.
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko later warned that he would respond with force if there were another offensive, but said that there was no ultimate military solution to the crisis. ”We cannot solve the conflict only with tanks and [multiple rocket launcher] Grads,” said the president in an interview with the Ukranian TV channel Inter aired on Saturday. “We will pay the price with tens of thousands of lives if we fight against the occupying Russian troops and separatists backed by Russia in urban neighbourhoods.