Separatists infiltrate Ukrainian-controlled territory, fighting resumes

Andrei Lysenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian President, says fighting has resumed near the town of Marinka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. According to Lysenko, Ukrainian forces have been under attack since 9 a.m. this morning. After the shelling began, Kiev's troops say they spotted a separatist intelligence team infiltrating government-controlled territory. Fighting continued afterwards.

A volunteer fighter from the "Kiev-2" battalion, part of Ukraine’s pro-government forces, also reported that fighting has resumed, saying the separatists are using artillery, tanks, and Grad rocket launchers in the attack. 

“Around 9 a.m. our positions came under attack from mortar-guns and small-arms weapons. This is [in] Marinka,” said Lysenko.

On June 3, fighting between the Ukrainian army and the separatists resumed near the government-controlled town of Marinka. According to reports, both sides used heavy weapons that are prohibited by the terms of the Minsk II ceasefire. Ukrainian officials blamed the separatists for launching an offensive on Marinka; the separatists claim the fighting began after provocations by the Ukrainian army.