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Pro-Russian rebels standing guard near the airport in Donetsk
Ukraine’s military have said that its forces and separatist generals have agreed a temporary ceasefire around the airport in rebel-held Donetsk that has been the focus of fighting for months.
Residents around the airport said that a lull in the fighting that has been raging on a nearly-daily basis ensued shortly after the negotiations began.
A 12-year-old boy and a 55-year-old woman were killed by shelling in the eastern Ukrainian separatist stronghold of Donetsk on Thursday, the city administration reported, despite a Sept. 5 ceasefire deal.
According to UN data an average of 13 soldiers, rebels, and civilians have died every day since a formal ceasefire was agreed by Ukraine, Russia and the rebels, with Ukrainian government forces and the separatists accusing each other of violating the terms of the truce.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has claimed 7500 members of the Russian armed forces are present in his country, “preventing” Kiev from stabilizing the situation in the Donbass.
On Saturday Poltorak issued a statement reading that “unfortunately the stabilization of the situation in the east of Ukraine does not depend only on us.”
Ukraine’s military is preparing to repel a possible assault by Russian-backed rebels in the east following reports of Russian military reinforcements crossing the border.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said Monday in an interview with the daily German daily Bild that the country is ready for total war.
Nato officials have seen Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops entering Ukraine this week, its top commander says.
“Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defence systems and Russian combat troops” were sighted, US Gen Philip Breedlove said.
