Heavy shelling near separatist Ukraine city
Heavy shelling erupted on Monday (27/10/2014) near the separatist held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, ending a relatively calm period during the weekend parliamentary election.
Several dozen Grad multiple rockets could be heard firing early in the morning from the area of Putilovsky, a neighbourhood near the city's ruined airport, AFP correspondents said.
A Ukrainian government-held base nearby in Avdiivka was hit by the heavy rockets, a local resident told AFP by telephone.
"The shelling began during the night. Everyone was expecting fighting to start right back up after Sunday's elections in Ukraine," said Marina, at a separatist checkpoint in Putilovsky.
"It's fine, this is our side shooting. But now there will be the reply from the Ukrainians."
On Sunday, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attack on a checkpoint in Smile, in the Lugansk region, military authorities said Monday, adding to the more than 3,700 people reported to have died in six months of conflict.
President Petro Poroshenko said preliminary results from Sunday's election showed backing for his plan to negotiate an end to the war with the separatists, who have declared their own "people's republics" allied with Russia.
Kiev accuses Russia of arming and organising the rebel militias, charges Moscow denies. - Sapa-AFP
