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Updated
6:54 PM EST, Fri February 13, 2015
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NEW: Petro Poroshenko claims that pro-Russian forces have increased their attacks
Fighting continues in eastern Ukraine ahead of a ceasefire due to come into effect Sunday
OSCE chief says he hopes to see a reduction in hostilities before the ceasefire
CNN
—
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that a ceasefire due to go into effect over the weekend between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine is in “big danger.”
Fighting continued ahead of the cessation of the bitter 10-month-long conflict that has killed more than 5,000 people and strained East-West relations.
The peace plan hammered out Thursday during marathon four-way talks in Minsk, Belarus, had raised hopes of an end to the fighting.
But Poroshenko said that after the agreement reached by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, the offensive against Ukrainian troops by pro-Russian separatists had intensified.
“This is not just an attack on Ukrainian civilians, this is an attack of the Minsk results,” he said in Kiev, adding the peace plan is in “big danger.”
The ceasefire agreement comes with many questions over how it will be implemented and whether it will stick.
The first test will be whether the guns fall silent when the ceasefire comes into force at midnight local time Saturday to Sunday.
Both sides are expected to start pulling back their heavy weapons from the front lines as of Monday, creating a buffer zone at least 50 kilometers (31 miles) wide.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which already has a monitoring mission in Ukraine, has been given the challenging task of overseeing the process.
“We need to have an effective ceasefire,” said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, at a media briefing. “So I’m already concerned that we are seeing this morning a continuation of hostilities.”
The OSCE hopes to see a reduction in hostilities between now and the start of the ceasefire, he said.
But reports from eastern Ukraine – where separatist soldiers told CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh on Thursday that they were highly skeptical of the peace plan – suggest otherwise.
Eight Ukrainian soldiers have died and 34 have been injured in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Friday morning.
There were 40 incidents of militants opening fire and shelling in the conflict area overnight, including 25 in the Debaltseve area, it said.
What will happen to the strategically important, government-controlled town of Debaltseve, under siege by separatist forces for weeks, is one of the big unanswered questions.
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers remain there, almost surrounded, and it’s unclear who will ultimately control the town when the ceasefire comes into effect.
Mother of 3 children killed: “What ceasefire?”
The water began running Thursday night for the first time in a week at the Konopliovi home in Horlivka.
A bath was quickly drawn so the three children could clean up.
The kids’ mother went to another room to get a towel and the first shell hit, wiping out the bathroom but leaving the parents’ bedroom – even its windows – intact.
Nastya, 14; Dasha, 7; and Kiriusha, 2 1/2 , were dead.
“What ceasefire? I curse every day those who killed my children, and all those of the country. People who want to live peacefully,” Liuba Konopliovi told CNN, according to a translator. “We lived, grew up, took our children to school. They are not people.”
Doctors Without Borders said in a “crisis update” from one of its doctors in Horlivka that between five and 20 victims are brought to their facility each day. On one occasion, there were 60 victims.
But on three days, there was no water with which to sterilize the equipment, so only urgent care was administered.
‘Bad, and worse’
Despite the uncertainties over the deal, all those at the Minsk talks said it was a better alternative than simply allowing the escalating violence to continue.
“We had just two options: bad, and worse. So we decided at this particular period of time to get the bad option. Probably this option will save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, and I hope this option will save lives of Ukrainian civilians, of innocent people, who are under a constant shelling of Russian-led terrorists,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen in Kiev.
“It’s better to have this new deal rather than not to have (it). But we do not trust any words or any papers. We are to trust only actions and deeds,” he said.
The White House issued a statement with a tone of guarded optimism and urged all parties to take “immediate, concrete steps” to fulfill their commitments.
“Heavy weapons must be withdrawn from the conflict zone, and Russia must end its support for the separatists and withdraw its soldiers and military equipment from eastern Ukraine,” the statement said.
While the Ukrainian forces have to pull back their heavy weapons from the front line as it stands Saturday night, the separatist forces must pull back theirs from the front line as it was on September 19, when a previous peace agreement was signed in Minsk. That swiftly disintegrated amid continued violence.
The new ceasefire proposal represents a territorial gain for the separatists, who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
‘Glimmer of hope’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking after the talks wrapped up alongside French President Francois Hollande, said that what had been achieved gave “a glimmer of hope” but that big hurdles still lay ahead.
European Union leaders who met in Brussels later Thursday “did not discuss any new sanctions against Russia,” European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters in the Belgian capital.
Tusk said that the EU wants “to encourage” Russia to implement the new Minsk agreement, but he also advised caution in light of how the first Minsk agreement unraveled.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti that while Russia had helped to bring about the Minsk agreement, it wasn’t in its power to fulfill it.
“We simply can’t do this physically because Russia is not a participant in the conflict,” Peskov said.
Moscow hopes that all of the points drawn up in the Minsk deal will be fulfilled, he added.
Russia has steadfastly denied accusations that it is sending forces and weapons into Ukraine. But top Western and Ukrainian leaders have said there isn’t any doubt that Russia is behind surging violence and separatists’ efforts to take over territory in eastern Ukraine.
Zannier, the OSCE secretary general, said his organization intends to put 350 monitors into eastern Ukraine to oversee the ceasefire and withdrawal process. Under the terms of the Minsk agreement, it can use radar, satellite and drone technology to help it.
But he warned that unless the environment becomes less hostile, there are limits to where the OSCE teams can go.
Prisoner swaps, new elections
Details of the new agreement, which is similar in part to the September 19 deal, were released Thursday, but it’s still unclear how elements of it will work. The points include:
? An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk starting at midnight on February 15.
? The withdrawal of all heavy weapons by both parties at equal distances in order to create a security zone width of at least 50 kilometers (31 miles) from each other for artillery systems and more for longer-range weapons.
? This process should begin no later than the next day after the ceasefire and should be over within 14 days.
? A dialogue on new local elections and the special status of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions will begin the day after the withdrawal.
? A law will be created to give amnesty to people involved in events in Luhansk and Donetsk.
? Both sides must ensure the release and exchange of all hostages and illegally held prisoners by no later than the fifth day after the withdrawal.
? Withdrawal of all foreign troops and military equipment from Ukraine, including mercenaries, and the disarmament of militia groups.
Ukrainian security forces patrol in the village of Bobrovyshche on July 14, 2015. More than 6,400 people have been killed in the conflict in Ukraine since April 2014, the United Nations says.
ALEXANDER ZOBIN/AFP/Getty
Ukrainian security forces on the lookout in Bobrovyshche on July 14. The country's troops face daily attacks from Russian-backed separatists despite a ceasefire being in place.
SERGEY BOBOK/AFP/Getty
A man with a machine gun is among the Ukrainian troops standing guard in Krimskoe town of Luhansk, Ukraine, on June 25.
Viktor Koshkin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Shelling between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels leaves damage in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Monday, June 1.
Mstyslav Chernov/AP
A Ukrainian serviceman fires a grenade launcher on the front lines near Donetsk on Saturday, May 30.
An American soldier, right, trains Ukrainian troops on Tuesday, April 21, near Yavoriv, Ukraine. Operation Fearless Guardian, a six-month training exercise, involves about 300 members of the American 173rd Airborne and about 900 Ukrainian National Guard troops.
Pete Kiehart/Getty Images
Residents flee with salvaged belongings during renewed fighting in the Jabunki neighborhood near the airport in Donetsk on Monday, April 13.
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images
A mortar round sticks out of the ground near a destroyed tank at a former Ukrainian army checkpoint outside Chornukhyne, Ukraine, on Monday, March 2. Russian-backed separatists had recently overran the area.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
An instructor of the Ukrainian volunteer Azov Battalion conducts training exercises in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 1.
YURY KIRNICHNY/AFP/Getty Images
A woman makes her way across a bridge destroyed in heavy fighting in Donetsk, Ukraine, on March 1.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A volunteer gives humanitarian aid to residents of Popasna, Ukraine, on Saturday, February 28.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A Ukrainian serviceman climbs out of a tank at a checkpoint near Horlivka, Ukraine, on Monday, February 23.
Anatolii Stepanova/AFP/Getty Images
A member of a Ukrainian military medical unit cries during a ceremony in Artemivsk, Ukraine, on February 23. Four of his comrades were killed near Debaltseve, Ukraine.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A man holds a Ukrainian flag as he covers a victim of an explosion in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, February 22. The explosion during a peaceful protest left two dead and 15 wounded.
Andriy Marienko/AP
Pro-Russian rebels stationed in Horlivka launch missiles on Wednesday, February 18.
ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP/Getty Images
Pro-Russian separatists take position near Uglegorsk, Ukraine, on February 18.
VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images
An army ambulance damaged in recent shelling lies by a road near Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, on Sunday, February 15.
Petr David Josek/AP
Ukrainian servicemen play with a soccer ball on a road between Svitlodarsk and Debaltseve on February 15.
VOLODYMYR SHUVAYEV/AFP/Getty Images
A woman salvages items February 15 from the rubble of a destroyed clinic where she had worked in Opytne, Ukraine.
PETRO ZADOROZHNYY/AFP/Getty Images
People carry a refrigerator through a balcony at an apartment building that was damaged in recent shelling in Svitlodarsk on February 15.
Petr David Josek/AP
A recent ceasefire was brokered during marathon talks in Minsk, Belarus. From left, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Fran?ois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gather before negotiations begin on Wednesday, February 11.
Mykola Lazarenko/Pool/AP
People stand beside the body of a woman killed during shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, February 10.
VOLODYMYR SHUVAYEV/AFP/Getty Images
A volunteer gets a medical checkup at a military base for pro-Russian rebels February 10 in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Pierre Crom/Getty Images
Ukrainian volunteer fighters and policemen arrest two men in Kiev, Ukraine, on February 9. The men allegedly arrived from Donetsk and were suspected of participating in pro-Russian rebel activities and organizing terrorist attacks in the Ukrainian capital.
SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Residents unload humanitarian aid in Debaltseve on Friday, February 6.
Petr David Josek/AP
A man rides a bicycle in Vuhlehirsk, Ukraine, on February 6.
Petr David Josek/AP
A child waits on a bus to leave Debaltseve on Tuesday, February 3, after increased fighting in the region.
Petr David Josek/AP
A man stands next to his car in Donetsk on Sunday, February 1, after it was destroyed by shelling.
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
The body of a civilian killed during shelling lies on the ground in Donetsk on Friday, January 30.
Vadim Braydov/AP
People in Mariupol, Ukraine, pour soil into the grave of a recent shelling victim on Monday, January 26.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Ukrainian servicemen prepare ammunition at a position on the front line near Mariupol on January 26.
ANATOLII BOIKO/AFP/Getty Images
A man injured during shelling in Mariupol sits in an emergency hospital on January 26.
Oleksandr Stashevskiy/AFP/Getty Images
A piece of an exploded missile sits lodged in the ground outside an apartment building in the Vostochniy district of Mariupol on Sunday, January 25.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A resident walks by a burning building in Mariupol on Saturday, January 24.
Sergey Vaganov/AP
A pro-Russian rebel takes cover from shelling in the Kievsky district of Donetsk on Thursday, January 22.
Manu Brabo/AP
People in downtown Donetsk react as Ukrainian prisoners of war are handed over by pro-Russian rebels on January 22.
ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/EPA/LANDOV
A trolleybus is damaged in Donetsk's Lenin District after its station was hit by a shell on January 22.
Nikolai Muravyev/ITAR-TASS/Landov
A rebel takes aim while protecting a supply position in the Kievsky district of Donetsk on January 22.
Manu Brabo/AP
Rubble and debris cover the airport in Donetsk on Wednesday, January 21.
Igor Ivanov/AP
Vladimir Bovrichev cries next to the body of his 4-year-old son, Artiam, during Artiam's funeral on the outskirts of Donetsk on Tuesday, January 20. The boy was killed during a Ukrainian artillery strike.
Manu Brabo/AP
Women sit in a shelter during a battle in Donetsk on Sunday, January 18.
Manu Brabo/AP
A building hit by Ukrainian artillery is seen in the Voroshilovsky area of Donetsk on January 18.
Manu Brabo/AP
Men from the Azov Volunteer Battalion board a bus in Kiev to join the fight against the rebels on Saturday, January 17.
Sergei Chuzavkov/AP
Rebels sit atop a tank at a checkpoint north of Luhansk, Ukraine, on Wednesday, January 14.
Mstyslav Chernov/AP
A Ukrainian soldier looks down from a military truck at the Donetsk airport on Tuesday, January 6. The airport has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Mstyslav Chernov/AP
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gives a speech as he hands over new military equipment to forces near the city of Ghytomyr, Ukraine, on Monday, January 5.
SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian volunteer fighter fires a machine gun at pro-Russian rebels near the village of Pisky, Ukraine, on Saturday, January 3.
VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images
Crisis in Ukraine
CNN’s Nic Robertson, Nick Paton Walsh, Alla Eshchenko, Pierre Meilhan and journalist Victoria Butenko in Kiev contributed to this report.
