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Ukrainian servicemen ride in a tank close to the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk, a facility which has been the site of intense fighting for several weeks.
Ukrainian servicemen ride in a tank close to the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk, a facility which has been the site of intense fighting for several weeks.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

We have moved the Ukraine Crisis Live Blog. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please find it HERE.

11:12 7.9.2014

Local officials are quoted by AFP as confirming that a woman has been killed in the fighting in Mariupol, confirming the UNIAN report/image cited in that Liveuamap report (tweet below).

10:16 7.9.2014

10:15 7.9.2014

10:05 7.9.2014

Shelling Near Mariupol, Donetsk Shatters Ukraine Cease-Fire

09:24 7.9.2014

Two Ukrainian privates were released yesterday as part of a hostage-release deal, Interfax reports, quoting an aide to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

The release of Ukrainian servicemen is one of the terms set out by Kyiv during the talks in Minsk to establish a peace process.

09:19 7.9.2014

Donetsk airport has been problematic since the cease-fire got under way, with Kyiv accusing rebels of multiple attacks overnight on Friday-Saturday. Now, it appears, fresh fighting has erupted there:

STEADY SHELLING HEARD NEAR DONETSK AIRPORT IN EASTERN UKRAINE, PLUMES OF BLACK SMOKE SEEN RISING IN AREA - REUTERS WITNESS

09:16 7.9.2014
Fighting near Mariupol late on September 6.
Fighting near Mariupol late on September 6.

Here's our newsroom wrap-up of events overnight:

Explosions and artillery fire have been reported outside the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol despite a day-old cease-fire between Kyiv and pro-Russia rebels.

Witnesses in Mariupol told AP by telephone that heavy explosions were coming from the city's eastern outskirts, where Ukrainian troops retain defensive lines against the rebels.

The volunteer, pro-Kyiv Azov Battalion said on Facebook that its positions were hit overnight by Grad rockets but did not give details.

Mariupol is a port city of about half a million people on the coast of the Sea of Azov.

Rebels recently opened a new front on the coast, leading to fears that the separatists were trying to secure a land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in March.

Earlier, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia said the cease-fire was mostly holding, but the truce still appeared fragile as both sides of the conflict claimed violations.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed steps "for giving the cease-fire a stable character" in a telephone conversation on September 6.

The Kremlin said both leaders expressed satisfaction "with the fact that the sides of the conflict were overall observing the cease-fire regime."

Colonel Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national security council, said rebels had fired at Ukrainian forces on 10 occasions after the cease-fire took effect.

A top rebel leader, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, claimed government forces had violated the cease-fire early with two rounds of shelling in the town of Amvrosiivka, about 50 kilometers southeast of Donetsk.

"At this time the cease-fire agreement is not being fully observed," he said. He didn't say when the supposed breach occurred.

Lysenko said Ukrainian forces were strictly observing the cease-fire and suggested that Zakharchenko's claim was a provocation.

Meanwhile, the International Committee for the Red Cross said on its Twitter account that its workers had tried to deliver food aid to the city of Luhansk on September 6 but turned back after shooting northeast of the city.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

17:43 6.9.2014

That concludes our live blogging for Saturday, September 6. Follow our continuing coverage HERE and HERE.

17:41 6.9.2014

From correspondent Robert Coalson:

NATO's Eastern Countries Fractured Over Response To Russia

17:39 6.9.2014

Here's the Kremlin statement in English on Putin's conversation with Poroshenko today:

The discussion focussed on the situation in Ukraine in view of the Contact Group meeting in Minsk on September 5, where a Protocol on assisting a peaceful settlement in the southeast of the country was adopted. Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the fact that the parties to the conflict are generally complying with the ceasefire and stressed the importance of the OSCE monitoring the situation.

The two Presidents also touched upon ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

The exchange of views also covered the consultations on the consequences for the Customs Union member-states of the entry into force of Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the EU.

Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko agreed to continue their dialogue.

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