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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Three civilians killed, three wounded in Donetsk shelling — DPR official

Shelling has become somewhat less heavy by the evening

Destructions in Gorlovka (archive) Nikolay Muravyov/TASS

Destructions in Gorlovka (archive)

© Nikolay Muravyov/TASS

MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Three civilians were killed and three more were wounded in the shelling of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine on Thursday, Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the defense ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) told a briefing.

"Three civilians were killed, three more were wounded. Two were killed in Donetsk and one - in Gorlovka," he said, adding that shelling had become somewhat less heavy by the evening.

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United States welcomes new Minsk agreements on Ukraine

New agreements on Ukraine

In a many-hour negotiating marathon that ended on Thursday, the leaders of the "Normandy quartet" - Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany - reached new Minsk agreements. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the sides have reached an agreement on the most vital issue and on many things.

According to Putin, two key agreements: first - on a ceasefire in Donbas as of 00:00 of February 15, and the second highly important one - on the pullback of heavy armaments and measures on a long-term political settlement of the situation, are the main outcome of the negotiations.

"The way I see it, we have agreed many things. Firstly, on a ceasefire as of 00:00 of February 15," the Russian leader said. The second agreed item the Russian leader regards as very important, is the "pullback of heavy weapons from the current engagement line for the Ukrainian forces and from the line set under the September 19 Minsk Accords for the Donbas militias."

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Putin also mentioned a "set of issues related to long-term political settlement." "There are several points here: first, a constitutional reform that must accommodate the legitimate rights of people resident in Donbas," Putin said.

There are also measures to settle border issues by coordination with Donbas militias, humanitarian issues, implementation of the earlier adopted law on the special status of these territories - Donetsk and Luhansk," Putin said.

The Normandy quartet negotiations by the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and France and German chancellor in Minsk proceeded in various formats (in private and with other delegations taking part for a total of 16 hours) from 19:15 pm, local time (20:15 pm, Moscow time) of February 11.

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Donetsk Eastern Ukraine

Middle East conflict

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