Fighting in eastern Ukraine decreasing

Kiev, Oct 24 (IANS/EFE) Fighting has "significantly" decreased over the past several hours in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk where government forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists for months, the Ukrainian command said Friday.

Attacks against the Ukrainian troops had dropped off, a posting on the command's Facebook account said.

The reported lull came after the separatist militias attacked government positions late Thursday with mortar fire in the region of Debaltsevo, one of the separatists' main strongholds, a Ukrainian military communique said.

Four soldiers were wounded during the attacks, according to the communique, which also reported the deaths of four pro-Russian militants over the last 24 hours.

The command said that its forces were still in control of the Donetsk International Airport where the fiercest clashes have been taking place since a nominal ceasefire came into effect in early September.

According to the website of the Donetsk municipal administration, artillery fire was heard early Friday in all of the city's districts, but no casualties or damage were reported.

The pro-Russian separatists have threatened to recover the cities of Donetsk that were lost to the Ukrainian forces when they launched a successful offensive three months ago.

Alexandr Zajarchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said that the cities of Kramatorsk, Mariupol and Slaviansk would be retaken in future fighting.

Zajarchenko claimed the separatists were the only ones respecting the ceasefire agreed as part of a larger deal to end the conflict signed in September.

Meanwhile, the separatists announced they would boycott Ukraine's legislative elections scheduled for Sunday.

--IANS/EFE

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