DONETSK, Ukraine — Artillery fire killed at least 12 civilians in this main rebel stronghold Friday amid fierce fighting between pro-Russia separatists and government troops as hopes for a break in hostilities were dashed when an attempt to call a new round of peace talks failed.
Five people were killed as they were waiting for humanitarian aid outside a community center,and two people were killed in the same neighborhood when a mortar shell landed near a bus stop.
By the time an Associated Press journalist arrived at the community center, the bodies were taken away. Nearby trees were cut down by what could have been a projectile. Five other people died Friday in artillery fire.
Full-blown fighting between the separatists and government forces erupted anew this month after a period of relative tranquility. Debaltseve, a railway hub that could prove a crucial link between the main rebel-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, has become the main focus of hostilities.
Separatists inched toward Debaltseve on Thursday when they burst through government lines into the town of Vuhlehirsk. The press office for Ukraine’s operations in the east said that rebels were mounting artillery strikes on government checkpoints and bases in Vuhlehirsk.
“Precision strikes are destroying the opponents’ firepower, manpower and machinery,” the press office said.
The fighting is precipitating substantial hardship among the civilian population, which has been unable to leave the area.
The United Nations on Friday voiced concern about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Debaltseve and other areas in eastern Ukraine where fighting is going on. Neal Walker, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, has called for a truce to allow humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians.
