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Pro-Russian separatists assemble on July 16 on the field where MH17 crashed almost one year ago, killing all 298 on board.
Pro-Russian separatists assemble on July 16 on the field where MH17 crashed almost one year ago, killing all 298 on board.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (ARCHIVE)

Follow all of the developments as they happen

10:28 13.6.2015
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (center) examines fortifications and trenches not far from the eastern city of Mariupol on June 11.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (center) examines fortifications and trenches not far from the eastern city of Mariupol on June 11.

Report: Six Ukrainian Servicemen Killed, 14 Wounded In Country's East

Six Ukrainian servicemen have reportedly been killed and 14 others wounded in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours, despite a cease-fire agreement signed in February.

The Interfax news agency quoted Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko as saying on June 13 that the soldiers had died as result of active fighting and shelling by pro-Russian separatists.

Two weeks of sporadic fighting in eastern Ukraine have threatened the fragile truce.

At least seven people, five of them civilians, were reported killed on June 11.

More than 35 people died last week in exchanges of mortar and rocket fire across the buffer zone between the two sides established by the February accord.

According to the United Nations, the conflict has killed at least 6,400 people and forced more than 1 million others from their homes.

Based on reporting by Interfax, Reuters, and AFP
10:17 13.6.2015

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09:01 13.6.2015
OSCE observers examine a residential house damaged during a shelling attack in Donetsk on June 2.
OSCE observers examine a residential house damaged during a shelling attack in Donetsk on June 2.

OSCE sees hotspots multiplying along Ukraine conflict line

Vienna (dpa) - Fighting in the Ukraine is flaring up in areas where there had been little violence since a shaky truce deal came into effect in February, says the deputy chief monitor of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

"It is an escalation," Alexander Hug told dpa Friday during a visit to the OSCE headquarters in Vienna. "We have seen an increase in numbers of hotspots."

Not only are the number of places where fighting is being seen multiplying, but these sites are all in towns and cities, adding to civilian casualties, said Hug.

As tensions have mounted over the past weeks, Hug said that the OSCE's monitors saw that both the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists built trenches to fortify their side of the conflict line, and that both increased the number of mine fields.

In addition, the army and the Russia-backed rebels had violated a February truce agreement by bringing heavy weapons to the conflict line and using them, instead of honouring their commitment to withdraw them.

"There are clear indications that there is a backward trend at themoment," Hug said.

The Minsk agreement in February, between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in its east, was brokered by Germany, France and Russia.

It calls for an end to fighting, removal of heavy weapons and a demilitarized zone.

However, while the severity of the fighting toned down, it never went away. And the OSCE assessment indicates it could now be getting worse.

The escalation has led to increased fatalities among civilians and fighters, as well as destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Despite this negative trend, Hug insisted that the Minsk truce was not dead, pointing out that the conflict parties have continued discussions.

"The fact that everyone talks to everyone is a good sign," said the Swiss lawyer and officer, who previously served on international missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and the West Bank.

The OSCE has currently deployed some 370 unarmed military observers in Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

The monitors have been tasked with observing the shaky ceasefire, and with facilitating dialogue between the conflict parties.

More than 6,400 people have been killed in the conflict since April 2014, according to the United Nations.

It erupted after Ukraine ousted its former pro-Russian president amid mass protests in Kiev that called for closer ties with the European Union.

Russia is widely believed to supply the rebels. While Moscow has been sending humanitarian convoys to rebel-held areas, it denies allegations of military aid.

08:57 13.6.2015

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The aftermath of the attack
The aftermath of the attack

Ukrainian Consulate Attacked In Southern Russia

Ukraine's consulate in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don has been vandalized.

Vitaliy Moskalenko, the Ukrainian consul in Rostov-on-Don, said unidentified assailants shattered 17 windows in the overnight attack.

The attackers also threw eggs and tomatoes into the building and tore a 40-kilogram bronze plate from the facade.

Moskalenko said the building was empty at the time.

Police have yet to detain any suspects.

The Rostov region neighbors war-torn eastern Ukraine, and the number of people crossing the border in that region has soared since the armed conflict erupted last year.

Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS


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