- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Shaky Ceasefire: Kiev Forces Mount Last-Gasp Fight as Truce Deadline Nears

© AFP 2023 / Dominique FagetA man stands next to his car
A man stands next to his car - Sputnik International
Subscribe
As the February 15 deadline for ending all hostilities nears, artillery rocket and small arms fire continues in parts of Ukraine’s war-ravaged eastern Donbas region.

Ukrainian serviceman guards as his comrades check a civilian transport near the eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve in Donetsk region, December 24, 2014 - Sputnik International
Donbas Forces Ready to React if Kiev Neglects Minsk Agreements – DPR
With the truce deadline agreed in Minsk on Thursday now just a few hours away, Ukrainian forces continued to lob rockets and shells at the positions held by independence supporters in a last-minute grab for territory.

Four people were killed and 12 were injured Saturday when Ukrainian artillery opened up on areas in and around Donetsk,  with witnesses reporting eleven barrages registered overnight from multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars targeting the Donetsk airport.

The city’s residential areas also came under heavy artillery fire during the night.

“Four people were killed overnight, three in Donetsk and one in Horlivka. 12 were injured,” the deputy commander of the local militia, Eduard Basurin, told reporters, adding that enemy fire had intensified in the morning hours.

In the southern city of Mariupol, meanwhile, the local authorities said the sound of heavy artillery exchanges was heard some 20 kilometers away, but the city itself remained secured by Ukrainian forces.

With the hard-won Minsk accords apparently having failed to dampen the Kiev military’s resolve to gain as much ground as possible before the midnight ceasefire deadline, one can only hope that reason will eventually prevail and the guns will finally fall silent…

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала