Fighting raged in Ukraine today as the clock ticked down to a ceasefire that will be a first test of the commitment by Kiev and pro-Russian separatists to a freshly-inked peace plan.
At least 27 civilians and soldiers died in shelling as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia it risked fresh sanctions if the fighting did not stop.
With separatists fighting to conquer more territory ahead of the truce and Kiev forces digging in, there were also doubts about whether anyone would observe the midnight Sunday (2200 GMT Saturday) ceasefire vital to the success of the peace roadmap.
The fresh fighting came after rebels and Kiev agreed to the wide-ranging plan yesterday after marathon talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
Ukraine's deputy defence minister Petro Mekhed accused the rebels of wanting to "raise their flag" over railway hub Debaltseve, scene of the bitterest recent fighting, and strategic port Mariupol ahead of the ceasefire.
"Ukraine is expecting an escalation and taking all necessary measures to be able to respond," Mekhed told journalists.
The fragile agreement was seen as the best hope of ending the conflict, which has killed at least 5,480 people and ratcheted East-West tensions to highs not seen since the Cold War, but scepticism remains high after the collapse of a similar previous peace plan.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stoking the war in ex-Soviet Ukraine by pouring arms and troops to help the pro-Russian rebels fighting Kiev government troops in Ukraine's industrial east. Moscow denies the charges.
"I don't want anyone to have any illusions or to seem like I'm naive -- there is still an awful long way to go to peace," Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko told troops near Kiev.
"Nobody is absolutely certain that the conditions for peace signed in Minsk will be fulfilled."
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini hailed the signing of the roadmap as "a first result".
"The first step is the ceasefire tomorrow evening and we'll verify that on the ground," she said in Tunis.
Both sides are supposed to begin pulling back heavy weaponry from along the frontline no later than two day after that.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned Russia that the EU, which has already slapped Moscow with sanctions over the crisis, was not ruling out further measures if the truce failed.
