An uneasy quiet appeared to settle over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, one day after the country's president and pro-Russian separatists reached a cease-fire deal that halted months of fighting, but left the future status of rebel-controlled areas in doubt.
Finger-pointing over breaking the truce
Both sides accused the other of violating the cease-fire after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered his military to stop its operations at 6 p.m., local time, Friday. Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council claimed that while the Ukrainian side had honored the agreement, the separatists had not:
Ukrainian military forces strictly hold ceasefire, while terrorists try to provoke - 10 armed attacks after 18:00 Friday col. Lysenko, NSDC— NSDC of Ukraine (@NSDC_ua) September 6, 2014
All 10 of the instances it cited happened on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted separatists as saying it was the Ukrainian government that continued the attacks:
#Kiev forces continue shelling despite ceasefire - #Donetsk militia http://t.co/APNHOOaGQp pic.twitter.com/7uvJ39UCbt— RIA Novosti (@ria_novosti) September 6, 2014
Alexander Zakharchenko, self-proclaimed prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, one of the rebel-controlled areas, also claimed that there were two shelling attacks on a village early Saturday. He said the separatists would proceed with a prisoner exchange, regardless, according to RIA Novosti.
But for the most part, calm
Journalists in the area reported that separatist strongholds that had been under siege were remarkably quiet overnight and into Saturday.
Quiet in #Luhansk overnight (not that I would have heard much in the basement where we stayed!) Ppl fairly sceptical about ceasefire.— Lindsey Hilsum (@lindseyhilsum) September 6, 2014
Just been at Donetsk airport. Quiet but while we were there we heard a gunshot. A local resident told us the night had been quiet #Ukraine— Abdujalil A (@abdujalil) September 6, 2014
Cars of soldiers / paramilitaries driving round Mariupol, but the city pretty calm. Lovely warm day, many weddings pic.twitter.com/nE2EMdI0Mk— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) September 6, 2014
Shelling had reached the outskirts of the major southeastern city of Mariupol this week. But photos showed people in the streets and markets on Saturday, going about their lives:
For others, the peaceful day allowed them to take an inventory of what was lost:
Will it last?
The cease-fire deal calls for the withdrawal of all heavy weaponry, the release of all prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to devastated cities in eastern Ukraine.
Many people on the ground in eastern Ukraine are skeptical that this latest agreement will hold. There have been several announced cease-fires over the past few months, though none have lasted.
What's more, the plan was engineered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding to the uneasiness in Kiev, The New York Times reported. Ukraine, NATO and Western leaders say Russia is largely to blame for the bloodshed in the east. They accuse Moscow of backing the rebels with weapons, supplies and even with thousands of regular troops.
Both the U.S. and the European Union have prepared to enforce even tougher sanctions on Moscow. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday condemned further EU sanctions, and promised that "there will undoubtedly be a reaction from our side" to any new measures, according to The Guardian.
In the separatist-controlled cities, pro-Russian rebels have been fighting for secession, while Kiev has struggled to maintain the integrity of its borders after Russia annexed Crimea in March.
Additional reporting by Amanda Wills and The Associated Press