Kiev accuses separatists of opening fire near strategic port city

Ukraine accused separatists of using artillery and tanks to fire on government positions near the strategic eastern port city of Mariupol yesterday.

Multiple rocket launchers of the Ukrainian army move near Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine on March 6. Photo: Reuters.

Separatists fired at Ukrainian positions and wanted "our troops to leave Shirokyne", a coastal village on the Azov coast about 10 km east of Mariupol, AFP quoted the military operations headquarters in the east as saying on Facebook.

Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the latest clashes, said Oleg Sushinky, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military. "The rebels began brazenly violating the Minsk agreements at 10:00 (08:00 GMT), using 120mm artillery and tanks to attack the Ukrainian side."

The information has not been verified. If true, this would be a violation of the peace agreement reached on February 12 in the Belarusian capital Minsk. Mariupol, a steel-producing city with a population of half a million, is the largest urban center in the conflict zone still controlled by Kiev.

Under the Minsk agreement, Kiev and the separatists must withdraw artillery, missiles and other heavy weapons from the front line. Eduard Basurin, the defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said the separatists had not launched any attacks, RIA Novosti reported.

Location of Shirokyne village. Graphics: BBC.

A spokesman for the Azov volunteer battalion, which is fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in Mariupol, said Shirokyne had been the scene of sporadic clashes for several days.

International monitors trying to monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons have repeatedly complained that the separatists are not allowing them access to areas far from the center of Mariupol.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a televised address the same day that 64 soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire began on February 15. He also confirmed that the separatists had withdrawn a large number of weapons from the front line.

"There is or is not a ceasefire. It depends on how you look at it. Ukraine withdrew most of its missile systems and heavy artillery. The separatists also withdrew a significant amount of weapons," Reuters quoted Mr. Poroshenko as saying.

According to VnExpress