“Full-scale war” threatens Eastern Ukraine again

(Bloomberg) — Ukraine’s east lurched back toward open war as the government in Kiev and pro-Russian rebels accused each other of starting major offensives in the region.
 The Ukrainian government said there were 26 outbreaks of fighting yesterday between its forces and separatists in the east, while the rebels said the Kiev government’s troops had gone on a large-scale military push there.
The standoff is coming to a head after Ukraine and its allies accused separatists of undermining peace efforts with Nov. 2 elections in Donetsk and Luhansk. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Nov. 5 that Ukraine’s “civil war” isn’t subsiding as cities continue to come under shelling and the civilian death toll rises.
“Both Ukrainian government and separatist forces must immediately stop carrying out indiscriminate attacks in violation of the laws of war,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia director of Amnesty International in a report posted on the human rights group’s website yesterday. “They have killed and injured civilians, and destroyed civilian homes, and there would appear to be little impetus on both sides to end these violations.”
Ukrainian troops are sticking to the cease-fire worked out two months ago and are “staying at their previous positions,” the military press office said in a statement on its Facebook page. It said three Ukrainian servicemen were killed yesterday.
Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency quoted Andrei Purgin, deputy premier of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, as saying that Ukraine had begun a large-scale offensive against the separatists in the east. Purgin said he sees “all-out war” and claimed Ukrainian forces had broken the Sept. 5 truce, according to RIA.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website it was rejecting the possibility of Geneva talks with the U.S. and the European Union on Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called for a return to “Geneva format” talks to resolve the conflict.
Putin discussed the deteriorating security situation in eastern Ukraine with Russia’s security council, Interfax news service said yesterday.

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