KIEV -- Ukraine's army said Wednesday that pro- independence rebels in eastern regions have launched a "major offensive" to push deeper into the government-controlled territory, an accusation the rebels denied.
"In the direction of Mariynka, the enemy has deployed 10 tanks and nearly a thousand of troops to fight against Ukrainian units. The self-propelled howitzers 2S1 'Carnation' (artillery systems) are supporting their offensive," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.
To repel the offensive and avoid heavy losses among Ukrainian troops, the government forces have used heavy artillery, which is banned under the Minsk peace agreement, the statement said.
Later in the day, Andriy Taran, the head of the Ukrainian section of the center for ceasefire control and coordination, said that the rebels have attacked Mariynka town with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and 152 millimeter caliber artillery.
"This is a blatant and cynical disregard of all the agreements, and especially the Minsk deal, which forms the basis of a comprehensive ceasefire," Taran told reporters.
The rebel leadership has denied any involvement in shelling of Mariynka and accused government troops of provocative fire.
"The Ukrainian side has committed a provocation by shelling our positions along the entire frontline," Vladimir Kononov, the defense minister of the self-claimed Donetsk republic, told a media briefing.
No official information on casualties was immediately available yet. Local media said that fighting near Mariynka, the government- controlled town, which lies 30 kilometers west of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, resulted in heavy losses from both sides.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine, which rages since April 2014, has killed over 6,400 people, according to the latest United Nations estimates.
In an attempt to end the violence, a truce deal was signed on Feb. 12 in Minsk, which covers a comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of all heavy weapons from the frontline and creation of a buffer zone between the two warring sides. Enditem
