Ukraine ceasefire violated more than 100 times within days: OSCE

The new ceasefire for eastern Ukraine appears to have faltered, with more than 100 violations recorded within days of it having gone into effect this week, according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The OSCE, which independently monitors the conflict between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebel groups, said the violations had been concentrated within Ukraine’s Donetsk region, whereas the neighbouring Luhansk region, also involved in the conflict, appeared relatively calm.

The OSCE “recorded 111 ceasefire violations, all in the Donetsk region, including 21 explosions”, it said in a report issued on Tuesday night, without indicating which side had committed the violations.

The Ukrainian military and the Donetsk rebel groups have traded blame for violating the ceasefire, which came into effect on Monday at midnight.

Previous attempts

There have been more than 20 ceasefire attempts in the six years of conflict in Ukraine’s two eastern regions near the Russian border. All of the ceasefire attempts have failed.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to estimates by the United Nations. No new deaths have been reported since Monday’s ceasefire.

The separatist rebellion began in early 2014 in response to Kyiv removing its pro-Russian president in a political pivot away from Russia and towards the West, particularly the European Union.

Russia, which represents the rebels in international negotiations, has long denied allegations that it is directly involved in the conflict.

Ukraine reiterated that allegation this week, claiming the Russian military had been violating the ceasefire.