A military spokesman in Kyiv says a 5- or 6-year-old girl was killed today when mortar fire hit a village close to the front line in the conflict between government forces and pro-Russian rebels. Andriy Lysenko said the shells were fired by rebels northwest of the separatist-held city of Luhansk. There was no immediate comment from separatists.
Lysenko said one Ukrainian soldier had been killed and six wounded over the previous 24 hours.
More from Reuters on Poroshenko's comments:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Friday there was "no reason to panic" over the situation in rebellious eastern regions and that the army had sufficient resources to fend off an attack if a fragile ceasefire deal crumbles.
"If events begin to unravel in spite of the peace plan, Ukrainian armed forces today are ready and capable of repelling (an offensive)," Poroshenko said in statement, adding Kiev remained committed to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Bulletin from Reuters:
UKRAINE'S POROSHENKO SAYS UKRAINIAN FORCES ARE READY TO FEND OFF ATTACK IF PEACE PLAN UNRAVELS
Just in from AFP. Interesting, since we just ran a story that explores accusations that the OSCE is biased toward Russia. Read that story here.
Russia on Friday accused OSCE monitors of siding with Ukrainian authorities, warning that their attitude undermined trust in the international security organisation.
"Some aspects of the recent work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine are a cause for concern," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"We get the impression that its efforts are directed at helping and supporting only one side in the conflict, the official authorities in Kiev," it said. "Such policies from the mission's leadership undermine trust in its work.
From Reuters:
Ukraine's top priority is to build an army strong enough to stop Russian military aggression, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Friday, as the country's military reported more deaths in a separatist conflict.
Ukraine has accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help pro-Russian rebels in eastern regions launch a new offensive in a conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people.
"Building an army, which is capable of stopping aggression from Russia, is the number one task," Yatseniuk said in a televised briefing with journalists in which he gave his recommendations for top positions in a new coalition government.
Increasing violence, truce violations and reports of unmarked armed convoys travelling from the direction of the Russian border have aroused fears that a shaky Sept. 5 truce could collapse.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said shelling between government forces and rebels had continued in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with one soldier and one five-year-old child being killed in different attacks.
More from AFP on Sweden and the small submarine it says entered its waters:
Sweden said Friday it had evidence that a mini submarine entered its waters in October, in a Cold War-style incident that triggering a week-long hunt fuelled by heated speculation of a Russian incursion.
"The Swedish defence forces can confirm that a mini u-boat violated Swedish territory. This is a serious and unacceptable violation by a foreign power," the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces Sverker Goeransson told reporters.
He added that it was impossible to confirm the vessel's nationality.
The search, which stirred up memories of Cold War cat-and-mouse games with suspected Soviet submarines along Sweden's long, rugged coastline, involved battleships, minesweepers and helicopters as well as more than 200 troops.
Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Loefven issued a stark warning against any future incursions.
"Those who consider entering Swedish territory illegally should be aware of the enormous risks it will mean for those involved in the violation," he said.
"We will defend our territorial integrity with all available means. The armed forces has the necessary power to prevent a foreign vessel from getting away with it in a critical situation, and to do so with military force."
The October submarine hunt was triggered on October 17 after sightings of a "man-made object". Hundreds of reports from members of the public then flooded in, recording "something" in waters near Stockholm.
Although Sweden has consistently declined to point the finger at Russia, the search added to concerns in the region over a more assertive Kremlin since the start of the conflict in Ukraine and an uptick in Russian airforce activity over the Baltic.
During the search, Russia denied it had a vessel in the area and claimed it might be a Dutch submarine that had been on a joint exercise with the Swedish navy prior to the October 17 sighting. The Netherlands denied that, saying its submarine had left by that date.