Fighting Picks Up In Ukraine

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) are guarded by members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic forces during prisoners exchange in the village of Oleksandrivka outside Donetsk, Ukraine, February 20, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

New York Times: Truce Unravels as Fighting Picks Up in Ukraine

MARYINKA, Ukraine — Though overshadowed by the war in Syria, fighting in eastern Ukraine has picked up sharply in recent weeks, residents along the front line, commanders and European monitors say.

The resumption of hostilities in Ukraine, with exchanges of machine gun and mortar fire across the front line up to levels not seen since last summer, suggests a willingness by Russia, which supports the rebels in eastern Ukraine, to sustain two conflicts at once. In late September, Russia began airstrikes in Syria on behalf of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

A cease-fire took hold here in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and the government on Sept. 1, which was apparently coordinated with Russia’s military deployment in Syria.

But that truce is now unraveling, and Maryinka has become one of the new hot spots.

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WNU Editor: This is low intensity warfare .... and there are casualties .... Ukraine Says Soldier Killed In Clashes In East (RFE).