Hospital in rebel-held east Ukraine shelled despite ceasefire

KIEV: A hospital in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk was hit by artillery fire on Sunday, Orthodox Easter, despite a ceasefire, but caused no casualties, local authorities said.
"Four mortar shells hit hospital No 21 on Sunday morning. Three exploded in the hospital grounds and one fell on the roof but did not explode," said Ivan Prikhodko, administrative head of the Kuybishevski district in Donetsk, quoted on the official separatist website.
He said the shelling originated in Piski, which is controlled by the Ukrainian army and is located near the now razed Donetsk airport, under rebel control since January.
"The damage is insignificant and there are no casualties," Iuliana Bedilo, a rebel spokeswoman, told AFP.
Though a truce agreed Feb 15 between the government and pro-Russian separatist insurgents is largely holding, isolated clashes continue in rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
The fighting is mainly around the once state-of-the-art Donetsk airport and Shyrokyne, a village 10km from the strategic port city of Mariupol, the last major city in government hands in the conflict zone.
Ceasefire monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported "renewed intensive fighting" Saturday night in Shyrokyne after "a three-day period of relative calm."
The Ukrainian army said on Sunday it had noted a "significant increase in enemy aerial reconnaissance" with 30 drone flights recorded in the last 24 hours, spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said.
Two Ukrainian soldiers were injured in the last 24 hours, he said. – AFP