Alexander Hug (front, centre), deputy head for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's monitoring mission in Ukraine, stands with members of his team on the way to the MH17 site on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Kiev: Fighting is continuing around the MH17 crash site despite reports of Ukraine's military announcing a day-long pause to its brutal offensive to oust pro-Russian rebels in the east.
'We are circling the site now, but can't get through,' said Paul McGeough, Fairfax Media's Chief Correspondent. 'We are on high ground with a spectacular view of the whole site being messed about by different battles.'
On the reported ceasefire, McGeough said: 'Not here. Not yet.'
'There are seven all more battles moving slowly across the steppes. It seems the Ukranian army moved in from the north at dawn and are attempting to push the rebels south and west,' McGeough said
The ceasefire announcement followed a plea from the UN for a truce to allow a stalled probe into the downing of Malaysian flight MH17 to go ahead.
'We have taken a decision not to conduct military operations on this so-called 'day of quiet',' military spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky said, adding that the move was in response to an appeal by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to halt fighting.
Experts from the Netherlands and Australia were trying on Thursday to reach the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine after several failed attempts this week.
Australian and Dutch police aren't giving up hope of accessing the MH17 crash site despite the fighting that has been ongoing between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the country's east.
Investigators were forced to abandon their mission for a fourth consecutive day on Wednesday because of clashes close to the site where the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down, killing all 298 people on board including up to 39 Australian citizens and residents.
However, specialist equipment is still being flown in to the Ukraine ahead of a possible breakthrough.
Having been briefed on the latest turnback, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said investigators were not giving up hope.
'We will not readily be deterred here. We are determined,' Mr Abbott said.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters
Entities 0 Name: Ukraine Count: 4 1 Name: UN Count: 2 2 Name: McGeough Count: 2 3 Name: Europe Count: 1 4 Name: Abbott Count: 1 5 Name: Netherlands Count: 1 6 Name: Ukrainian Count: 1 7 Name: Fairfax Media Count: 1 8 Name: Tony Abbott Count: 1 9 Name: Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky Count: 1 10 Name: Organisation for Security and Cooperation Count: 1 11 Name: Malaysia Airlines Count: 1 12 Name: Australia Count: 1 13 Name: Reuters Kiev Count: 1 14 Name: Paul McGeough Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/XeulxD Title: Still No Safe Passage to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Crash Site in Eastern Ukraine Description: International investigators may not be able to get to the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 for some time due to the fighting between Kiev's forces and the pro-Russian rebels, a Ukrainian official said Wednesday.
