New Russian humanitarian aid convoy enters eastern Ukraine

More than 50 trucks were heading towards Donetsk and another 80 towards Luhansk, said a ministry spokesman quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.

The two cities are the capitals of the homonymous breakaway regions and the main strongholds of the eastern Ukraine separatists.

It is the ninth convoy sent by Russia to the region since the aid shipments began last August.

This file photo shows trucks of a third Russian aid convoy wait for unloading in Donetsk, Ukraine, September 20, 2014. A new Russian humanitarian aid convoy entered eastern Ukraine on Friday through the border section controlled by pro-Russian separatist militias, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations announced on Friday. More than 50 trucks were heading towards Donetsk and another 80 towards Luhansk, said a ministry spokesman quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. EFE/File

Meanwhile, a leader of the separatist militias said Friday that the current ceasefire that went into effect on Tuesday was holding, and the situation in the conflict area was calm.

Over the past 24 hours there were no violations and therefore no casualties, Eduard Basurin, the deputy head of the militia of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk, told RIA Novosti.

However, the Ukrainian military command said Friday that the separatists had fired six times at government forces but there were no injuries.

In a posting on Facebook, the Ukrainians said the incidents involving light weapons occurred overnight.

Both sides are to meet soon with the mediation of Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to hammer out a more comprehensive peace agreement to end the conflict which has cost an estimated 4,300 lives and forced the displacement of hundreds of thousands of refugees.

The current truce is the second in the rebel zone since the outbreak of fighting in April. A previous ceasefire, signed in September, was largely ineffectual.

According to the Ukrainians, more than 400 volunteers and Ukrainian soldiers were killed during that truce in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.