Donetsk:
Intense artillery fighting broke out early on Sunday in the separatist bastion of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to AFP journalists in the area.
Firing close to the town centre began at 02:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday), and could still be heard at the same intensity two hours later.
It is the first fighting on this scale since a barely-observed ceasefire was signed in September. The OSCE security organisation voiced concern Saturday after its monitors witnessed columns of tanks, howitizers and troop carriers moving through east Ukraine.