KIEV — The conflict in Ukraine escalated with the first deaths since a cease-fire went into effect after midnight on Feb. 15 as government troops battled pro-Russian militants.
Five government soldiers were killed and 25 wounded in fighting near the strategic port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Chalyi said by phone on Monday. Debaltseve, a key rail junction, was the focus of shelling by insurgents, according to the Defense Ministry in Kiev. Rebels blame Ukraine for repeatedly violating the cease-fire, according to comments carried by the separatist-run DAN news service.
The combat marred the latest effort to defuse the almost one-year crisis that’s killed more than 5,600 people. The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France brokered the cease-fire last week in the Belarus capital, Minsk, after similar agreements unraveled, leading to the most serious confrontation between Russia and the U.S. since the Cold War.
“Another opportunity for a peaceful resolution of the conflict should not be missed,” Ivica Dacic, the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said in a statement Monday. “I expect all parties to demonstrate the highest level of responsibility by fully respecting and adhering to the cease-fire in all areas, including in and around Debaltseve.”
As tensions persisted on the ground, the European Union expanded its sanctions list over the conflict, adding another 19 people and nine entities. Russia called the move “ridiculous” after the peace deal signed last week.
Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Arkady Bakhin and Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov are among those added to the EU’s blacklist, which the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said will receive an “appropriate reaction.” There are now 151 individuals under travel bans and asset freezes, while 37 entities are also under sanctions.
Markets were mixed. Ukraine’s foreign-currency bonds fell as the government said it was looking to restructure its debt by June and the cease-fire showed signs of strain. Ukraine’s $1.25 billion of bonds maturing April 2023 fell 0.48 cents to 51.17 cents on the dollar in Kiev, extending a 2.4-cent drop on Feb. 13. The hryvnia weakened 1.2 percent, after declining 3.3 percent last week.
The ruble strengthened 0.5 percent against the dollar and Russian government ruble bonds advanced for a fourth day as oil traded above $60 a barrel.
The Minsk agreement signed by Ukrainian and rebel representatives requires both sides to begin withdrawing heavy weaponry behind a buffer zone from the second day after the cease-fire and to complete the pullback within 14 days.
“This is a very difficult path,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin. The cease-fire is “fragile” and “it was always very, very clear that there’s a lot to do” to secure a truce.
Ukraine, the U.S., the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization say Russia is supporting the separatists with hardware, cash and troops — accusations the Kremlin denies. Russia says Ukraine is waging war on its citizens and discriminates against Russian speakers, a majority in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed implementation of the Minsk agreement at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Interfax.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke by phone with Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, according to a statement issued Monday by the Elysee palace. The leaders discussed the cease-fire and expressed concern over the standoff near Debaltseve, calling for unfettered access for Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe observers.
While the authorities in Kiev have accused the separatists of preventing European officials from inspecting Debaltseve, rebel officials warned that they couldn’t guarantee the safety of observers because of Ukrainian attacks in the area.
The cease-fire is being honored, “generally speaking,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin on Monday. Pockets of fighting are “of concern,” such as around Debaltseve, a rail hub on the road between the rebel-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, and European officials must assess the situation in the town, Seibert said.
“People are left without bread and water,” Natalia Karabuta, head of Debaltseve’s health department, said by phone, adding as many as 5,000 people are trapped. “Debaltseve’s hospital was hit, so it doesn’t take patients. Doctors are also hiding in basements.”
The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, has said that the cease-fire won’t extend to the area. All Ukrainian troops pinned down in Debaltseve must lay down their arms and abandon the town, Zakharchenko said Sunday in a statement carried by DAN.
Rebels were using artillery, mortars and multiple rocket systems to shell government troops 27 times on Monday, focusing their efforts on the area around Debaltseve, according to Anatoliy Stelmakh, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Kiev.
In turn, Eduard Basurin, a defense ministry official from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said towns and positions controlled by the separatists endured 49 attacks by Ukrainian artillery, DAN reported.
“The cease-fire appears to be largely holding, giving a desperately needed respite to civilians trapped in the area and contributing to a swift and peaceful resolution of the conflict,” the United Nations said in a statement. The truce “forms the basis for the broader implementation of the Minsk accords and to restoring peace and stability to Ukraine.”
With assistance from John Walcott in Washington, Mark Raczkiewycz and Kateryna Choursina in Kiev and Helene Fouquet in Paris.