Heavy fighting resumes in Ukraine

Ukraine’s government forces and pro-Russian separatists have accused one another of launching a major new attack in the country’s east.

The rebel forces began a “large-scale offensive against Ukrainian positions” close to their stronghold of Donetsk overnight on Wednesday, using about a dozen tanks and up to a thousand troops, the Ukrainian army general staff said in a statement.

It said government troops had fought back against the attack using heavy artillery.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks around key hotspots on the frontline in eastern Ukraine despite a truce brokered by the West in February.

Vladimir Kononov, the chief of the separatist forces, told Russia’s Interfax news agency that at least 15 people, including civilians, were killed around Donetsk.

“The Ukrainian side has carried out a provocation and started shelling our positions all along the front,” Kononov was quoted as saying.