Ukrainian rebel leader announces unilateral cease-fire
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The separatist leader in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday announced a unilateral cease-fire starting at midnight Wednesday, which could be a major step in solving the conflict that has been raging for more than two years.
The conflict between Russian-backed separatist rebels and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,500 people since it began in April 2014. Ukraine and the separatists signed peace accords in Minsk, Belarus, last year but they were never fulfilled. What's more, the initial cease-fire has collapsed, turning an all-out war into a simmering conflict that, however, still claims lives.
It is the first time that that the separatists, who are widely believed to be controlled by Moscow, have come with an idea of a unilateral cease-fire.
