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| International Monitors in Ukraine Come Under Artillery Fire | International Monitors in Ukraine Come Under Artillery Fire |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| DONETSK, Ukraine — Six international monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe came under artillery fire and were pinned down for three hours in a village south of Donetsk on Sunday afternoon despite a cease-fire, a spokesman said Monday. | DONETSK, Ukraine — Six international monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe came under artillery fire and were pinned down for three hours in a village south of Donetsk on Sunday afternoon despite a cease-fire, a spokesman said Monday. |
| None of the O.S.C.E. personnel involved were injured, but their two armored vehicles were damaged and one was so disabled that it had to be abandoned. | |
| “It’s the first time we have taken live fire in six months,” said Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the mission in Ukraine. “We need a secure environment in order to work.” | “It’s the first time we have taken live fire in six months,” said Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the mission in Ukraine. “We need a secure environment in order to work.” |
| Leaders of the O.S.C.E. mission met with the prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, on Monday morning. The international organization scheduled a news conference for later Monday at which it was expected to call for a de-escalation of the violence and for both sides to respect the fragile cease-fire agreement, which was signed 10 days ago, Mr. Bociurkiw said. | Leaders of the O.S.C.E. mission met with the prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, on Monday morning. The international organization scheduled a news conference for later Monday at which it was expected to call for a de-escalation of the violence and for both sides to respect the fragile cease-fire agreement, which was signed 10 days ago, Mr. Bociurkiw said. |
| As part of that agreement, the Ukrainian government submitted a draft law to Parliament on Monday that would grant “special status” to the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions for three years. | |
| The main points include amnesty for those who participated in the “events” in those regions; the right to use Russian as an official language; the election of local councils; funds for social and economic development from the state budget; and the right to form local police forces. | |
| More than 600 miles west of Donetsk, not far from the Ukrainian city of Lviv, forces from 15 nations participated Monday in United States-led military exercises. The United States was expected to send about 200 troops. | |
| The principal job of the O.S.C.E. monitors, who are unarmed, is to gatherinformation on security in the region. The organization helped mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that led to the Sept. 5 cease-fire and to the still hazy outlines of a political solution. | |
| While the large offensive operations between Ukrainian forces and rebel fighters, backed by Russian soldiers and artillery, have ended, both sides frequently breach the cease-fire by trading artillery fire and sometimes rifle fire. | While the large offensive operations between Ukrainian forces and rebel fighters, backed by Russian soldiers and artillery, have ended, both sides frequently breach the cease-fire by trading artillery fire and sometimes rifle fire. |
| The incident occurred in the village of Debaltseve, 18 miles south of the regional capital, Donetsk. The area is a crossover point between Ukrainian and rebel front lines on the route to the site of the Malaysia Airlines jet that crashed more than two months ago. | The incident occurred in the village of Debaltseve, 18 miles south of the regional capital, Donetsk. The area is a crossover point between Ukrainian and rebel front lines on the route to the site of the Malaysia Airlines jet that crashed more than two months ago. |
| After meeting with the O.S.C.E. representatives, Mr. Zakharchenko said the monitors had driven into a front-line area without a warning and ran into an exchange of fire between the two sides. “The place they were driving was in the middle of the front line,” he told journalists after the meeting with the O.S.C.E. mission leaders. “The Ukrainians fired and we retaliated.” | After meeting with the O.S.C.E. representatives, Mr. Zakharchenko said the monitors had driven into a front-line area without a warning and ran into an exchange of fire between the two sides. “The place they were driving was in the middle of the front line,” he told journalists after the meeting with the O.S.C.E. mission leaders. “The Ukrainians fired and we retaliated.” |
| “We let them know in order for such problems not to occur, they need to inform us about their route,” he added. | |
| Mr. Zakharchenko said Debaltseve was far from the crash site, and that Dutch experts who are expected to visit the site soon would be protected by rebel forces. “We control the territory of the crash site and we are able to provide security for these experts,” he said. | Mr. Zakharchenko said Debaltseve was far from the crash site, and that Dutch experts who are expected to visit the site soon would be protected by rebel forces. “We control the territory of the crash site and we are able to provide security for these experts,” he said. |