Pro-Russia Rebels Say Withdrawing Artillery in East Ukraine

The prime minister of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk said Tuesday that the pro-Russian rebels have removed artillery from frontline areas where Ukraine had also withdrawn, in line with a peace plan signed Saturday.

"We have withdrawn artillery but only in those areas where the Ukrainian regular units have done the same. Where Ukraine hasn't withdrawn artillery, we also haven't done so," the rebel leader, Alexander Zakharchenko told the Interfax news agency. 

He said that the rebels were only withdrawing heavy artillery: "This all only concerns artillery with caliber greater than 100 mm."

On Saturday, government forces and pro-Kremlin separatists agreed to pull back heavy artillery and set up a 30-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the frontline.

Zakharchenko said that Ukraine was not observing the ceasefire fully, however.

"Not everything's clear with the ceasefire. Firing from the Ukrainian side is still going on as before. I would call this a slow-moving military operation," he told Interfax.

Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels were battling around the airport near the insurgent stronghold of Donetsk on Tuesday, sending flames and clouds of black smoke into the sky, Agence France Presse journalists said.

The airport, which was severely damaged in a fierce battle in May, was hit by heavy artillery and the rattle of automatic weapons fire could also be heard, the journalists said.

Donetsk is the largest insurgent-held city in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine but the airport remains under the control of government forces despite numerous rebel assaults.