The cease-fire had appeared to largely been holding during much of the day.
But late Saturday, witnesses in Mariupol told The Associated Press by telephone that heavy explosions were coming from the city's eastern outskirts, where Ukrainian troops retain defensive lines against the rebels.
The volunteer Azov Battalion said on Facebook that their positions were hit by Grad rockets, but did not give details.
Mariupol is a port city of about half a million on the coast of the Sea of Azov. Rebels recently opened a new front on the coast, leading to fears that the separatists were trying to secure a land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in March.
Earlier on Saturday, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia said the cease-fire was mostly holding, but the truce still appeared fragile as both sides of the conflict claimed violations.
A statement from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed steps "for giving the cease-fire a stable character" in a telephone conversation Saturday.
But, it said, both leaders assessed the cease-fire as having been "fulfilled as a whole." A separate Kremlin statement about the call said, "There was a mutual satisfaction with the fact that the sides of the conflict were overall observing the cease-fire regime."
Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national security council, told reporters that rebels had fired at Ukrainian forces on 10 occasions on Friday night after the cease-fire took effect............AFP......http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Artillery-attack-challenges-ceasefire-in-east-Ukraine/articleshow/41907086.cms
7/9/14
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Related:
Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels agree on ceasefire (from 18:00, September 5) / Statement of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko
Explosions have been heard near the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a day after the government and rebels agreed a ceasefire...
Kremlin: Telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko...
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Explosions in east Ukraine threaten ceasefire...
ReplyDeleteMARIUPOL: Powerful explosions in a key frontline city in eastern Ukraine on Saturday (Sep 6) raised fears that a day-old truce between government and rebel forces had already collapsed. Numerous explosions were heard and thick smoke was visible on the horizon of Mariupol, a government-held port city in the east of the country. A checkpoint held by Ukraine loyalists seemed to be on fire late on Saturday, according to AFP journalists close to the scene.
The renewed violence came just hours after a phone call between Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who agreed that a ceasefire signed on Friday "was generally being observed". The 12-point pact was the first to gain the backing of both Kiev and Moscow after five months of fighting that has claimed 2,800 lives and triggered the deepest crisis in East-West relations for a generation.................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/explosions-in-east/1350026.html
7/9/14
Schwere Explosionen bei Mariupol...
ReplyDeleteDie Waffenruhe in der Ostukraine ist offenbar gebrochen. Bei Mariupol kam es zu Schüssen und Detonationen. Die Konfliktparteien beschuldigen sich gegenseitig.
In der Nähe der Hafenstadt Mariupol in der Ostukraine hat es in der Nacht zum Sonntag schwere Explosionen gegeben. Das berichten übereinstimmend Reporter der Nachrichtenagenturen AFP und Reuters. Östlich der Hafenstadt waren demnach zahlreiche Detonationen zu hören. In einem Wohnviertel sei dichter Rauch aufgestiegen, eine Tankstelle und ein Lastwagen seien in Brand geraten.
Auch Bewohner der strategisch wichtigen Hafenstadt berichteten örtlichen Medien zufolge von Schüssen und Detonationen. Ein bislang von Kiew-treuen Kämpfern gehaltener Kontrollposten stand offenbar in Flammen...................http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2014-09/ukraine-mariupol-waffenruhe
7/9/14