Here is today's map of the military situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
KYIV, January 12 /Ukrinform/. Russian-backed militants continue to violate the ceasefire regime by firing at the positions of Ukrainian military. Terrorists have carried out 63 attacks over the past 24 hours, including 22 since 18.00 on Sunday, the press center for the anti-terrorist operation has reported on Facebook.
"Near Donetsk, terrorists fired with mortars at the meteorological tower of the Donetsk airport and Avdiyivka. Also, militants shelled Tonenke, Pisky and Opytne with mortars, artillery and Grad multiple rocket launchers, and antitank guided missiles were launched against Hranitne," reads the report.
"In other areas illegal armed groups fired with mortars at the settlements of Vuhlehirsk, Leninske and Hnutove, with artillery systems at the outskirts of Nikishyne, and with Grads at the settlements of Odradivka and Hnutove," the anti-terrorist operation headquarters said.
According to the press center, the Donetsk airport and settlements around it remain the tensest zone. Last night the military protecting the new airport's terminal were engaged in a battle with terrorists.
"Our military confidently control the situation and, if necessary, launch strikes in response, suppressing the most active firing points of terrorists. The enemy sustains losses," the press center added.
The headquarters also reported that not a single shot had been fired in the anti-terrorist operation zone in Donbas since 01.00 until the morning.
Russian tsars conquered the south and east of present-day Ukraine using the term “Novorossia,” in the 18th and 19th centuries, but at least for now, the Kremlin’s imperial dream of repeating history seemed to be turning to dust thanks to a rash of infighting among field commanders in the war-troubled eastern regions of Ukraine. By the end of the first week of this year, 14 commanders and their fighters in the Luhansk region had been murdered, including a notoriously corrupt field commander, Alexander Bednov—known as Batman. The leaders of thousands of Cossack forces, which control an area containing more than 1 million people in the Luhansk region, blamed Moscow-appointed Novorossia politicians for abusing their power, ordering the murders of their militia allies, and stealing Russian money and humanitarian aid sent to the region.
Russian, Latvian foreign ministers to meet today:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to meet his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics, in Moscow on January 12.
According to TASS, talks are expected to focus on the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
The Baltic state is the current holder of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, giving the meeting extra weight.
On January 7, Rinkevics said he had seen "signals" from the Kremlin indicating "a willingness" to cooperate with the EU.
Rinkevics said an improvement in the situation in eastern Ukraine, where Russia holds influence over pro-Russian separatists battling Ukrainian forces, could result in a softening of sanctions. (TASS)
Crisis meeting set fot today in Berlin:
The foreign ministers of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France are scheduled to meet on January 12 for talks on the crisis in Ukraine.
The meeting in Berlin comes days ahead of a possible meeting of the same countries' leaders in the Kazakh capital, Astana over the conflict in Ukraine.
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 10 that it was too early for such a summit.
Merkel said that for the meeting to be successful there has to be progress on implementing a much-violated peace deal that was reached in Minsk in September.
More than 4,700 people have been killed in fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine since April.
Russia denies playing any role in the conflict, despite evidence -- some provided by NATO -- to the contrary.
French President Francois Hollande has said he would go to Astana only on condition there's a chance of making progress.
According to the AP news agency, Merkel briefly met both Hollande and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko in Paris on January 11.
Merkel and Poroshenko were among world leaders in the French capital to attend a rally to honor the victims of the recent three days of terror in Paris.
Meanwhile, on the ground in eastern Ukraine, heavy fighting was reporting on January 11 in Donetsk, the biggest pro-Russian rebel stronghold.
According to the AFP news agency, rocket and mortar fire echoed across the city in what it described as some of the fiercest fighting since last summer.
AFP quoted a Ukraine military spokesman as saying insurgents had targeted government force positions -- mostly around the largely destroyed international airport -- 41 times by the evening on January 11.
Quoted by AFP, rebel leaders claimed Ukrainian government shelling had damaged a power station providing electricity to Donetsk's large Zasyadko coal mine.
A local mine union official said 331 miners working at the time of the power outage were briefly trapped underground until power returned later.
Independent Ukrainian Miners Union Chairman Mykhaylo Volynets said everyone had been safely evacuated within five hours of the power cut.
There was no official comment about the incident from either pro-Ukrainian officials in the region or the military. (AP, AFP and TASS)
Barring any major developments that ends the live blogging for today.
The Guardian's wrap-up of what looks set to be a non-summit: