MOSCOW — The separatist leader in eastern Ukraine has announced a unilateral cease-fire starting at midnight Wednesday.
The conflict between Russia-backed separatist rebels and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,500 people since it began in April 2014.
Alexander Zakharchenko, rebel leader in Donetsk, made the cease-fire announcement in a recorded statement aired on Russian television on Tuesday. It was the first time that the rebels have announced a unilateral cease-fire.
The announcement comes a few hours after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he expects the parliament to vote soon on constitutional amendments granting autonomy to eastern Ukraine.
