Russia insists it is observing Ukraine ceasefire

MOSCOW: Moscow insisted on Saturday its army was observing a ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Orthodox Christmas despite artillery attacks by Kyiv troops.

“Despite the shelling of the armed forces of Ukraine of settlements and Russian positions, the implementation of the declared ceasefire will be continued,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. The statement however added that over the past 24 hours Russian forces repelled a number of attacks by the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine and killed dozens of its troops.

AFP journalists in the town of Chasiv Yar south of the frontline city of Bakhmut on Saturday heard heavy artillery fire for much of Saturday morning. On Saturday, the general staff of Ukraine´s armed forces said that Russia launched one missile strike and fired 20 rounds from multiple rocket launchers over the past 24 hours.