Ukraine crisis: Artillery fire in Donetsk after warning about fresh rebel offensives

People watch a shop damaged by shells at Oktyabrskiy district in the city of Donetsk as artillery fire continues to rock the eastern Ukraine's pro-Russian rebel bastion of Donetsk (Getty)

Fresh volleys of artillery fire were heard across many parts of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, a Ukrainian government statement said, after Kiev warned again of rebel preparations for a fresh offensive.

A Reuters witness in central Donetsk heard several dozen blasts of artillery fire, though it was unclear who had launched them or what was under attack.

Shelling from both sides has repeatedly punctured a ceasefire, agreed in a deal signed on 5 September to end a war that has killed more than 4,000 people since April. Government forces and rebels have accused each other of violating the terms of the truce, raising fears it could collapse entirely.

A government statement issued in the name of Donetsk city administration said the situation in the city was tense.

“According to residents, powerful volleys and explosions of heavy weapons can be heard in many districts,” it said.

Ukraine’s pro-Western leaders and Nato have accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help pro-Russian rebels to launch a possible new offensive, a charge the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.

Before the latest reports of shelling, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Sunday that the weekend had been calmer than in previous days, but warned again of a build-up in separatist forces. “The number and intensity [of shelling] fell, but there are signs of rebels and Russian forces preparing for an offensive,” Andriy Lysenko said in a briefing in Kiev.

In the separatist Luhansk region, three members of Ukraine’s special police force were killed as a result of a rebel attempt to break into Ukrainian-controlled territory, the interior ministry said. The press service for the military operation said another soldier had been killed in the region.

Andrei Purgin, the Deputy Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, told Reuters that rebels had reached an agreement with Ukrainian forces to stop shelling around Donetsk airport following a meeting that included representatives of Russia and the security watchdog OSCE. Mr Lysenko said he did not have information on the agreement referred to by Mr Purgin.

The US President, Barack Obama, said on Sunday that Russia would remain isolated by the international community if its President, Vladimir Putin, failed to end Russian backing for separatist rebels in Ukraine.

Reuters