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Ukraine ceasefire under threat

September 7, 2014

Explosions near two cities in eastern Ukraine have raised fears a truce between separatists and government forces may collapse. The presidents of Ukraine and Russia had earlier said the ceasefire was largely holding.

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a soldier stands in eastern ukraine
Image: Reuters/M.Shemetov

Strong explosions were heard Sunday morning in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, which had been a focus of fighting in recent days.

The prolonged blasts were reported to be coming from near the airport, which has been under the control of Urkainian government forces.

"Listen to the sound of the ceasefire," one armed separatist joked to the Reuters news agency. "There's a proper battle going on there."

The strategically important port city of Mariupol, which has also been on the front-line of fighting during the past week, was the scene of several loud explosions into the early hours of Sunday.

"There has been an artillery attack. We received a number of impacts. We have no information about casualties," a Ukrainian officer said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Journalists for the AFP news agency in Mariupol reported seeing thick smoke on the horizon and that a checkpoint held by forces loyal to Ukraine seemed to be on fire, while a Reuters reporter heard prolonged artillery fire to the city's east late Saturday and later saw a burning truck, gas station and industrial facility, as well as vehicles carrying troops.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had agreed in a phone conversation that the ceasefire, which came into force Friday evening, was largely being observed.

The pact signed in Minsk, the first to have the backing of both Kyiv and Moscow, aimed to enable an end to five months of fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists in the country's east. The violence has claimed about 2,500 lives according to UN figures. An earlier ceasefire declared by Kyiv in June collapsed within days.

Western leaders and Kyiv accused Russia of backing the separatists with troops and weapons, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.

Human rights group Amnesty International on Sunday accused "all sides" in the conflict of showing a disregard for civilian lives and that some attacks may amount to war crimes.

se/hc (AP, Reuters, AFP)