Violence continues across eastern Ukraine despite new cease-fire deal

Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels fought fiercely across the east of the country on Friday despite a new peace deal brokered in Minsk the day before by Germany and France after a marathon session of talks. 

The continued fighting follows a pattern of broken cease-fires stretching back to September, when leaders on both sides came to a peace agreement neither side obeyed. About 5,000 people have perished since fighting began last spring.

A cease-fire is due to come into effect from Sunday under the new agreement, which also envisages a withdrawal of the heavy weapons responsible for many of the casualties.

Ukraine's pro-Western president said he was not naive and wanted to make clear the country was a long way from peace.

"Nobody has a strong belief that the peace conditions which were signed in Minsk will be implemented strictly," Petro Poroshenko said.

Kiev said pro-Russian rebels had built up their forces across separatist-held zones since the deal and both sides accused each other of killing civilians.

Two people were killed and six wounded when a shell hit a cafe in the Kiev-controlled town of Shchastya near rebel-held Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, a local official said, adding that other shells had struck elsewhere in the town.

"The town's heating system is broken, power lines are damaged as well as the water supply ... So this is how a comprehensive cease-fire is prepared for," the head of the Kiev-controlled administration, Hennadiy Moskal, said online.

The rebels accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the separatist stronghold of Donetsk and the town of Horlivka, where they said on their website that three children had been killed.

The sound of artillery could be heard on the outskirts of Donetsk and clouds of black smoke hung over its suburbs.

Outgoing fire from the Ukrainian side was visible on the road between Kiev-controlled Kramatorsk and rebel-held Donetsk and rebels at a checkpoint near Donetsk said they had been hit by mortar strikes. They mocked the impending truce.

"What sort of cease-fire? Don’t make me laugh. This is already the second or third cease-fire," one said.

The deal, sealed by the leaders of Germany and France on Friday after 16 hours of all-night talks in Minsk, capital of Belarus, with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, was soon overshadowed by the clashes.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said 11 soldiers had been killed and 40 wounded in the past 24 hours.

"The enemy continues to build up forces in the main areas of the armed conflict," Andriy Lysenko said.

Fighting was intense around Debaltseve, a railway junction linking the two main rebel areas, where separatists used rockets and artillery to attack government forces holding the town.

"Rebels are repeatedly storming the strongholds and base camp of Ukrainian forces" in and around Debaltseve as well as firing artillery, mortars and rockets, Lysenko said, stressing that government troops had held their positions.

The United States and Europe have threatened further sanctions against Moscow if the rebels seize more territory.

Reuters