Alexander Borodai

Pro-Russian separatists attacked Ukrainian posts on the border with Russia and a military base and tried to storm an airforce base overnight into yesterday, government forces said, putting a Ukrainian unilateral ceasefire under pressure.

The action came just hours after the start of a ceasefire at 10pm on Friday by Ukrainian forces, ordered by President Petro Poroshenko as part of his plan to end the rebel insurgency in the east of the country.

A government forces spokesman said the separatists used mortars and sniper fire to attack Ukrainian posts at Izvareno and Uspenka on the border, wounding nine Ukrainian officers.

Rebels with big calibre machine guns and grenade-launchers also attacked a Ukrainian position at Avdiyivka, near the main regional town of Donetsk, and a Ukrainian post at Kreminna.

Separatists controlling Slaviansk also attacked Ukrainian forces on Karachun hill overlooking the town with mortars and grenade-launchers, spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov said. “In all these episodes, the attacks of the (rebel) fighters were deflected without loss,” Seleznyov said.

Poroshenko announced the week-long ceasefire on Friday night, urging the rebels to lay down their arms and warning that Ukrainian forces would hit back if attacked.

Ukrainian forces also repelled two attacks by around 50 heavily-armed fighters in the early morning on an air defence base at Avdiyivka, which houses surface-to-air missiles, the Defence Ministry said. No Ukrainian personnel were hurt.

The rebels, who have seized strategic points in major towns including Donetsk and set up ‘people’s republics’, saying they want to join Russia, said Ukraine has broken its own ceasefire.

Alexander Borodai, Prime Minister of the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic told a news conference the ceasefire was not working and appealed to Russia to send in peacekeeping forces.

“Since last evening, combat activities are continuing. Poroshenko’s artillery is bombing Slaviansk and the air force has made several raids. Words about a ceasefire as always were just that – words,” Borodai said.

“The anti-terrorist operation against the people of the Donbass is in full swing,” he said.

Pavel Gubarev, a prominent rebel leader, told Rossiya-24 TV channel that either Ukrainian troops were not obeying orders or Poroshenko “is lying”, adding: “There is no ceasefire at all.”

Poroshenko, installed on June 7 as president after seven months of turmoil in the ex-Soviet republic, ordered government forces to cease firing to allow his 15-point peace plan to take root. The ceasefire ends at 10pm on Friday.