Ukraine military reports ceasefire infringement

Ukraine on Monday accused rebel forces in eastern Ukraine of violating a cease-fire enforced at the frontline since midnight.

Speaking at a news conference, the Commander of Ukrainian Joint Forces Volodymyr Kravchenko said soon after the midnight, rebels opened fire from small and heavy arms twice on Ukrainian forces.

According to Kravchenko, the attacks did not cause any causalities and the Ukrainian side did not fire in response.

The presidents of Russia and Ukraine both commended the cease-fire deal in a phone call Sunday and underscored the importance of implementing the agreements reached at the December summit in Paris.

The new cease-fire deal was reached Wednesday by members of the Tripartite Contact Group that includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and was welcomed by EU officials.