Rebels in Donetsk call for ceasefire to prevent 'humanitarian catastrophe'

Fighting raged yesterday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk despite a request from the pro-Russian rebels for a ceasefire to prevent a "humanitarian catastrophe". Ukrainian officials demanded that the insurgents surrender instead.

One person was killed and 10 injured in shelling yesterday, Donetsk city council spokesman Maxim Rovinsky said.

Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, said the only way for the rebels in Donetsk to save their lives would be to "lay down their arms and give up".

"If white flags come up and they lay down their arms, nobody is going to shoot at them," he said. "We have not seen any practical steps yet, just a statement."

Conditions were clearly deteriorating in Donetsk, the largest rebel stronghold in eastern Ukraine.

At least 300,000 of Donetsk's one million residents have fled as violence escalates between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists, claiming the lives of over 1,300 people since April, according to the United Nations.