KIEV: A UN-backed ceasefire showed signs of taking hold in Ukraine on Wednesday, but tensions remained high after the US accused Russia of “lies” and Britain ordered a small troop deployment to train Kiev’s forces.

Russia in turn has warned it could within days cut off gas supplies to Ukraine — and, by extension, to parts of the European Union.

For the first time since the European-brokered truce came into force on Feb 15, no deaths were reported in Ukraine’s war zone by either side for the past 24 hours. “Over the past day, one soldier was wounded but there were no dead,” Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists in Kiev.

There was still no confirmation, though, from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) of a pull-back of heavy weapons from the frontline -- the other key plank of the truce.

Rebels insisted they were withdrawing artillery, rocket launchers and tanks from some areas, and journalists saw a column of howitzer guns being driven along a road near the separatist stronghold of Donetsk. “We are following orders to pull back heavy weapons, but the Ukrainians aren’t,” a rebel commander going by the nickname “Khoroshii” said.

But the OSCE mission in Ukraine said in a statement the warring sides had not provided the information needed to determine what, if any, arms withdrawals have occurred.

Kiev says it will not carry out an arms pull-back until a full and “comprehensive” ceasefire is observed and has accused Russia of continuing to send military hardware in to bolster the rebels.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2015

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