Ukrainian rebel leader announces unilateral cease-fire
MOSCOW — Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday announced a unilateral cease-fire starting at midnight Wednesday, which could be a major step in solving the conflict that has raged for more than two years.
The conflict between Russian-backed separatist rebels and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,500 people since it began in April 2014. Representatives of Ukraine, the separatists and Russia signed a February 2015 Minsk peace deal brokered by France and Germany, but frequent clashes have continued to claim lives and political provisions of the agreement have never been implemented.
Alexander Zakharchenko, rebel leader in Donetsk, made the cease-fire announcement in a recorded statement aired on Russian television on Tuesday, berating Kyiv for a “lack of willingness to solve the problem in a peaceful manner.”
Zakharchenko said he has ordered rebel troops to cease fire at midnight Wednesday and urged Ukraine to do the same.