Published on 02:56 PM, November 09, 2014

Heavy shelling in Ukraine city

Heavy shelling in Ukraine city

Unmarked military vehicles were spotted in a rebel area on Saturday
Unmarked military vehicles were spotted in a rebel area on Saturday

There has been intense artillery bombardment overnight in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

The BBC's Daryna Mayer in the city said the shelling was the worst in more than a month, lasting almost eight hours.

She said it appeared to be coming from both rebel and government positions.

The fighting comes a day after monitors saw large numbers of unmarked military vehicles in rebel-held areas. Ukraine says it believes the rebels have received equipment from Russia.

Moscow denies this, although in the past it has said that Russian soldiers on leave were fighting among the rebels.

More than 4,000 people have died since fighting erupted in April after pro-Russian separatists seized control in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 5 September, although hundreds of people have been killed since then.

'Resurgence of violence'

BBC correspondent says the shelling in Donetsk started four days ago, just after elections in rebel areas, but the latest round was extremely intense.

There is presently a lull in the fighting. No casualties have been reported so far.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said its observers had seen a column of vehicles and heavy guns in rebel-held areas around Donetsk.

"More than 40 trucks and tankers" were seen on a road east of Makiivka, the monitors said, adding that 19 were large vehicles towing howitzer artillery systems and "containing personnel with dark green uniforms without insignia".