Earlier in the day, the Kiev military said that as a ceasefire between the Kiev troops and self-defense forces entered its second day, fighting and shelling has subsided in the majority of east Ukraine, with Debaltsevo being the only exception.
"Ukrainian military fire indiscriminately near Debaltsevo, everyone is a target for them – self-defense forces, journalists, OSCE officials. They start shooting indiscriminately once they see a person or a car," DPR militia deputy commander Eduard Basurin said.
On Sunday, the chief of the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine stated that the monitors had been refused access to the contested town of Debaltsevo, where up to 10,000 Kiev soldiers are reportedly encircled.
On February 14, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, said that the militia would not cease fire in the inner parts of the territory, vowing to stop attempts by Kiev troops to escape Debaltsevo.
The ceasefire came into force on Sunday as part of an agreement on resolving Ukrainian crisis hammered out by leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. The high-level meeting took place amid a rapid deterioration of the situation in eastern Ukraine.