Ukrainian government forces say they came under mortar and artillery fire on February 16 despite a truce that went into effect with Russian-backed separatists a day earlier. RFE/RL correspondent Levko Stek was with the government troops in the village of Mironovsky and reported the road to the strategic town of Debaltseve was blocked. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
Both sides stall on pulling out heavy weapons as fighting continues:
Ukraine's government and pro-Russian separatists have failed to begin pulling back heavy weapons from the front line.
Under a cease-fire agreement signed in Minsk last week, the sides were to begin withdrawing the weapons on February 17.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said the rebels launched 15 attacks overnight against its positions around Debaltseve.
Kyiv said five soldiers have been killed in the past 24 hours, most of them near the town.
The separatists said the army breached the truce 17 times in Donetsk region in the past 24 hours.
Berlin said the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Germany agreed on "concrete measures" to allow OSCE observers to monitor the shaky cease-fire.
A German government spokesman said the measures were agreed during a phone call late on February 16. (AP,AFP,Reuters)