Bloodiest day since truce, 6 killed in Ukraine

DONETSK, Sept 15 (AFP): Warring rivals in Ukraine traded blame  Monday over the bloodiest day in the restive east since a shaky ceasefire was drawn up 10 days ago.

Six civilians and an unknown number of soldiers were killed in heavy shelling on Sunday around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in Ukraine's industrial heartland.

The fighting erupted ahead of the start on Monday of US-led war games in the far west of Ukraine, about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the flashpoint city.

"The government in Kiev is only using the ceasefire to regroup its forces and attack us again," the prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko told reporters. "We will not allow that," he said.

Kiev had in turn accused the pro-Russian separatists of jeopardising the September 5 truce deal by intensifying attacks against government positions around Donetsk, the main rebel-held city in the east.

Sustained shelling and artillery fire was reported throughout much of Sunday around Donetsk and at the government-controlled airport, where huge clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky above the city.

There were reports of renewed gunfire around the city on Monday but far less intense.

In addition to the six civilian casualties, Ukrainian security spokesman Andriy Lysenko said there were dead and wounded among the military, but gave no details.

The rival sides had signed up to a 12-point ceasefire after talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk-the first truce backed by both Kiev and Moscow-but there have been reports of violations almost daily.