Kiev blamed Russian-backed rebels for shelling that killed at least 10 civilians on a bus and toppled the control tower at Donetsk airport, which for months has been at the epicentre of fighting between government and separatist forces.
Footage showed the bodies of passengers crumpled inside the small yellow bus, its windows blown out and bodywork riddled with shrapnel holes, on the snowy main road between the government-controlled port of Mariupol and rebel-held Donetsk.
Officials said the rockets that hit the bus were probably aimed at a nearby checkpoint manned by Ukrainian servicemen. The rebels denied responsibility and blamed Kiev’s forces for the attack, which is the worst single strike against civilians in recent months.
Security situation
The bloodshed came as the security situation deteriorated in eastern Ukraine, where since last April Ukraine’s troops have been battling separatists who want their region to be independent or to join Russia.
An agreement in December reinforced a ceasefire deal and reduced clashes in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, without entirely halting the fighting, which has killed more than 4,700 people and displaced about one million.
The new year has seen a resurgence in hostilities, however, with shelling intensifying in several areas, particularly at Donetsk airport.
The facility was built for the Euro 2012 football championships, which Ukraine co-hosted with Poland, but now the terminals are skeletal hulks surrounded by shattered aircraft, charred machinery and rubble.
They are fought over at close quarters by government soldiers and rebels, and yesterday the control tower – for months a flag-topped symbol of Ukrainian resistance in Donetsk city – came crashing to the ground.
Separatist forces gave Ukrainian troops at the airport – whom compatriots have nicknamed “cyborgs” for their apparent indestructibility – until last night to retreat or be killed in a huge artillery barrage.
Government forces refused to leave, however, and the deadline passed without an immediate onslaught from the rebels.
The renewed violence comes against the backdrop of a worsening humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine – where food and energy supplies are often disrupted and winter is starting to bite – not to mention a bleak diplomatic picture.
Crisis summit
A crisis summit of Ukrainian, Russian, German and French leaders that was planned for tomorrow in Kazakhstan has been postponed indefinitely, due to the lack of a real ceasefire and scant hope that talks would produce a major breakthrough.
Kiev says the onus is on Russia to close its border with separatist-held Donetsk and Luhansk regions, through which fighters and heavy weaponry have flowed to the rebels for months.
Moscow and the militants say Ukraine is showing no willingness to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict, and instead appears to be gearing up for a renewed onslaught on separatist positions.
To complete the grim picture, Ukraine is also in a parlous financial situation, and its woes could be compounded by a potential Russian request for early repayment of $3 billion (€2.5 billion) in debt.
