One month in, Ukraine truce exists in name only

October 06, 2014 08:27

Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels marked a month since the signing of a Kremlin-backed truce on today by engaging in one of the most heated battles of their six-month war over the ex-Soviet state's eastern rustbelt.

The artillery blasts that rocked the frontline city of Donetsk were yet another blow to the 12-point peace agreement signed on September 5, and which is officially still in force.

"There is no ceasefire. You hear?" 31-year-old resident Yekaterina Manannikova said, pointing in the direction of Donetsk airport, once a glittering showcase for the biggest city in the east, now the battered scene of a non-stop firefight.

"Peace is already declared, how many times should it be declared to be effective? Two, three times?" said another local, Vitaliy Chura, 29, blaming the separatists for the continued fighting.

The agreement aimed at ending almost six months of war that has claimed over 3,300 lives -- included a promise to create a 30-kilometre buffer zone between the two forces.

But Ukraine's military says Kiev will not start pulling back forces until rebels stop firing on its positions, including at the airport.

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