Good morning. We are resuming our live blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Tuesday, September 23. Follow our updates throughout the day.
This just in from the French news agency AFP:
Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels were battling around the airport near the insurgent stronghold of Donetsk on Tuesday, sending flames and clouds of black smoke into the sky.
The fighting erupted despite a new truce agreement reached Saturday which calls for forces on both sides to cease-fire and pull back from the front line to create a buffer zone.
The airport, which was severely damaged in a fierce battle in May, was hit by heavy artillery and the rattle of automatic weapons fire could also be heard, the journalists said.
Donetsk is the largest insurgent-held city in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine but the airport remains under the control of government forces despite numerous rebel assaults.