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RT
crew "films Ukraine army breaking ceasefire" in Ukraine
RT
correspondent Murad Gazdiev and his crew have come under fire in the
area of the Donetsk Airport, which was the scene of intense fighting
for months before the ceasefire agreed in Minsk started on February
15.
Gazdiev,
cameraman Sam Henderson from RT’s News Team show and a contributing
cameraman, were filming at Donetsk International airport when it
happened.
“We
went to Donetsk Airport, they said it was relatively safe… with the
ceasefire. Compared to what it was a few days ago – an endless
series of explosions and bombing and shelling – it was relatively
calm,”Gazdiev said.
“We
saw the destruction firsthand. We actually came right up to no man’s
land, and that’s the runway. One side is held by the
anti-government forces; on the opposite are Ukrainian forces.”
As
they stepped onto the runway that serves as an improvised border
between the positions of anti-Kiev militia and Ukrainian forces, they
heard mortar fire and shells started exploding near them.
The
explosions followed them as they tried to get to safety.
“When
we were about halfway through the airport – we were by the hangars
– mortar shells started whistling down right next to us, within 50
to 100 meters. There was a lot of cover and we got behind that. There
were a dozen, maybe more mortar shells. And they just kept coming
down where we were making for,”Gazdiev said.
“I
can’t say with certainty they were targeting us, but it certainly
appeared that way. Wherever we went, shells landed. You could tell it
was mortar shells – they made a whistling sound and then bang – a
detonation.”
The
shelling comes amid a general ceasefire, which came into force on
February 15.
RT's
reporter and cameramen appear to have escaped unharmed.
The
latest breakthrough in the conflict is the Minsk agreement, which has
offered some hope of an end to the fighting. The deal provides for a
ceasefire and pullout of heavy weapons as the first steps towards a
political settlement of the Ukrainian civil war.
It
was reached on February 12, following marathon overnight negotiations
between Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia. It was also signed and
later ratified by the Ukrainian rebels. The document stipulated a
ceasefire starting at 00:00 on February 15.
The
talks were part of a Franco-German initiative. President Francois
Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Kiev and Moscow before
meeting the Russian and Ukrainian leaders at the negotiating table in
Minsk.
The
deal gives hope of peace for the imperiled country, although many
skeptics say it will collapse the same way the previous ceasefire
faltered in January.
In
particular, clashes continue around Debaltsevo, a city held by Kiev’s
forces and besieged by the Ukrainian anti-government troops. Fighting
continues there even as ceasefire is mostly observed in other parts
of the conflict zone. The militia forces insist that Debaltsevo has
been encircled and that their opponents should lay down their arms
and leave it immediately. Kiev claims that the city is its advance
stronghold and must remain under its control under the Minsk
agreement.
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