Ukraine reports sporadic violations of cease-fire

DONETSK, Ukraine – The city council in Donetsk says no deaths were reported in fighting overnight, one of the quietest nights recently in eastern Ukraine.

However, Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, told journalists on Thursday that one emergency worker had been killed by fighting near Donetsk’s airport. Combat has continued around Donetsk despite a formal cease-fire declaration.

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The city council of Donetsk said in a statement published online that the situation in much of the city was calm although occasional explosions could still be heard in a neighbourhood in the north, near the government-held airport.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko travelled to the United States on Thursday to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry and address a joint session of Congress.