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Pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk say they will make their stand in the city [Xinhua]
For a week now, heavy weaponry – prohobited by the protocols of the Minsk peace agreement – have been used to shell the Ukraine government held town of Avdeyevka (or Avdiivka).
Avdeyevka is 16 kilometeres north of rebel-held Donetsk and 50 kilometers south of Lugansk.
The UN says that dozens of civilians have been caught in the crossfire. At least two civilians were killed when Ukrainian troops shelled Donetsk, while at least nine people were killed when pro-Moscow militia fired mortars into Avdeyevka.
In six days of shelling, the UN says that 34 people, including Ukrainian troops were killed.
While Kiev and Moscow have traded blame for the latest flare-up – the worst since 2015, they did agree on Wednesday to withdraw heavy weaponry.
“The sides are responsible for withdrawing weapons in keeping with the Minsk agreements,” the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said.
The OSCE says it had recorded more than 11,000 ceasefire violations which it called unprecedented, but that fewer such incidents were recorded on Friday and Saturday.
The UN has also warned of a humanitarian crisis as many civilians in eastern Ukraine are without water and electricity with temperatures dipping below -18C.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
