Battle underway in Ukraine railway hub despite peace deal

Fighting between the government and pro-independence rebels persisted on Monday around a strategic railway hub in eastern Ukraine, dampening hopes that artillery exchanges could abate in the wake of a fresh peace agreement inked last week.

Five government soldiers were killed and 25 wounded in attacks by pro-independence rebels in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, government military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Monday. " Ukrainian army had fired only in response when coming under attack. "

According to the press service of the government's military operation in the east, the ceasefire regime helped to calm down the fighting near the rebel-controlled cities of Lugansk and Donetsk, while battles in Debaltseve town were still underway.

Eduard Basurin, the senior rebel commander, confirmed that hostilities were raging around Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub linking Lugansk and Donetsk, accusing the Ukrainian army of shelling the insurgent positions.

Speaking at a press briefing, Basurin said the rebel forces will start withdrawal of heavy weapons from the frontline "only after government armed forces stop shelling."

Earlier in the day, the press service of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council said Ukrainian forces are ready for the pullback of heavy weapons after "a complete ceasefire."

Under the truce deal signed last week, the warring sides in eastern Ukraine are to withdraw artillery, rocket launchers and tanks from the frontline starting from midnight local time Tuesday (GMT 2200 Monday).

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande reached a peace deal on Thursday in Minsk, capital of Belarus, to end the ten-month conflict in Ukraine, which has killed over 5,300 people.

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