Ukraine, rebels begin withdrawing artillery from buffer zone

Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian rebels have begun withdrawing heavy artillery in the east of the country, Ukrainian officials said on Monday, a significant step toward implementing an effective cease-fire in the region.

Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Kiev's forces had started withdrawing from frontline positions. He said the rebels had also begun their withdrawal of heavy artillery, although it was "not as massive as we expected."

"We are seeing a trend that [the rebels] are reducing their use of heavy armed weaponry," Lysenko told journalists in Kiev. He said neither Kiev nor the rebels had completed their withdrawals, but said he hoped the rebels "will follow the example of the Ukrainian servicemen."

A cease-fire imposed on Sept. 5 has been riddled by violations from the start, adding civilian casualties to the estimated 3,000 people who have been killed since the conflict began in April. On Monday, smoke rose over a neighborhood in the north of the rebel-held city of Donetsk, where fighting in recent weeks centered on a government-held airport has caught many residential areas in the crossfire.

Lysenko said two Ukrainian servicemen had been killed in the past day.

Last week, an agreement was signed to further the peace process, calling for both sides to halt advances and pull back heavy artillery, creating a buffer zone between them.

The deal was reached in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on Saturday by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Moscow-backed rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Under the agreement, each party must pull back heavy artillery 9 miles, setting up a buffer zone that would be 19 miles wide. The longer-range artillery systems are to be pulled even farther back to make sure the parties can't reach one another.

The agreement also specifically bans flights by combat aircraft over the area of conflict and setting up new minefields.

The deal on Saturday could be a significant step forward in finally bringing an end to the simmering conflict, although the negotiators have not yet addressed the future status of the rebel regions, the most politically controversial issue.

The Associated Press