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East Ukraine cease-fire appears to largely hold despite sporadic violations

Associated Press
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An abandoned dog and cat seen in front of a damaged house, after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists inked a cease-fire agreement Sept. 5, though the deal has been violated repeatedly. On Wednesday, shelling in rebel-held parts of the east killed at least 12 civilians, as a top leader of pro-Russian rebels rejected Ukrainian legislation meant to end the unrest by granting self-rule to large swaths of the east. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (The Associated Press)

An abandoned dog and cat seen in front of a damaged house, after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists inked a cease-fire agreement Sept. 5, though the deal has been violated repeatedly. On Wednesday, shelling in rebel-held parts of the east killed at least 12 civilians, as a top leader of pro-Russian rebels rejected Ukrainian legislation meant to end the unrest by granting self-rule to large swaths of the east. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (The Associated Press)

Ukrainian army paratroopers smoke cigarettes, at their position in Debaltsevo, Donetsk's region, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. The cease-fire between the separatists and the Ukrainian military in eastern Ukraine has largely held. (AP Photo/Efrrem Lukatsky) (The Associated Press)

The city council in Donetsk says no deaths overnight, one of the quietest nights recently in eastern Ukraine.

However, Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, told journalists on Thursday that one emergency worker had been killed by fighting near Donetsk's airport. Combat has continued around Donetsk despite a formal cease-fire declaration.

The city council of Donetsk said in a statement published online that the situation in much of the city was calm although occasional explosions could still be heard in a neighborhood in the north, near the government-held airport.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko traveled to the United States on Thursday to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry and address a joint session of Congress.