Civilian Killed in East Ukraine in Night of Shelling

Local Editor

One civilian was killed overnight in east Ukraine, an official said Friday, as Kiev accused pro-Russian separatists of violating a shaky truce 45 times over the course of the night.

Artillery blasts from the direction of the airport, the site of fierce fighting for weeks, and locals said overnight shelling intensified in the morning hours.

Donetsk city hall said in a statement that the northern part of the city has been under fire since Thursday and "as a result of the fighting one civilian died and another was injured."

Meanwhile, Ukraine's military accused the rebels of "violating the cease-fire regime 45 times over the last 24 hours."

Kiev inked a cease-fire deal with the pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk and Lugansk on September 5, an agreement that reduced the level of violence but has failed to stop it completely.

The latest fighting comes ahead of a leadership poll that the pro-Russian separatists are planning to hold on Sunday. While Kiev and the West have condemned the polls, Moscow said it would recognize the results.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team