Rebels attack Ukrainian government troops despite ceasefire: Kiev

KIEV (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatists are maintaining attacks on government forces in east Ukraine despite a ceasefire and despite the withdrawal of thousands of government troops from the town of Debaltseve, the Kiev military said on Thursday. The rebels used rockets, artillery and tanks to attack Ukrainian forces on 46 separate occasions, including in government-held Mariupol, a coastal town in southeastern Ukraine on the Sea of Azov. The military said rebels had carried out tank and artillery attacks on Mariupol from Shirokine, 25 km (15 miles) to the west. A military spokesman there, reached by telephone, said on Thursday there had been no overnight attacks and the situation was quiet. (reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Writing by Richard Balmforth, Editing by Timothy Heritage)