Donetsk : One civilian was killed in shelling in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and large explosions were heard near the airport in Donetsk, raising fears that a cease-fire signed two days ago is on the verge of collapse, reports AP.
Blasts from the area near the airport were powerful enough to be heard in downtown Donetsk, the main rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine. A spokesman for Ukraine’s national security council, Volodymyr Polyovyi, said at a briefing in Kiev that rebels appeared to have tried to attack the airport, which has been under the control of government troops since May and has come under unremitting attacks from pro-Russia separatist rebels since then.
The cease-fire had appeared to be holding for much of the day on Saturday, but shelling started late at night. A rebel statement said Ukrainian forces violated the cease-fire by firing on their positions in six locations, including near the Donetsk airport.
The statement said several rebels were killed. Shelling also occurred overnight on the outskirts of the port city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian troops retain defensive lines against the rebels. The city council there said one civilian was killed and a serviceman was wounded. A shell also destroyed a nearby gas station.
