First ceasefire ended, second ceasefire underway

Yesterday marked the end of the extended seven-day truce between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists.

Although, at first, President Petro Poroshenko firmly stated that the offensive against the rebels will be resumed, after several talks exchanged with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and his French and Russian counterparts, Poroshenko settled to initiate negotiations for a renewed ceasefire.

Russia’s Putin, together with Poroshenko, agreed to enhance control and supervision over border checkpoints after rebels in Luhansk took over a border point in the region and refuse to surrender the control of the crossing to authorities.

Meanwhile, more and more Ukrainian residents are fleeing into Russia in a mass exodus as the overall situation continues to deteriorate even further.

Shelling and gunfire fights continued overnight in eastern Ukraine, in spite of the fragile ceasefire which has, since then, ended.