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Ukraine Violence Continues Despite Weeks-Long Cease-Fire

A top NATO officer says the cease-fire exists "in name only" as the two sides work out more agreements to stem the violence.
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The cease-fire between Ukraine's government and pro-Russian separatists has been in place for more than two weeks, but officials say it isn't holding up the way the two sides intended. 

"So the situation in Ukraine is not good right now. I think basically we have a cease-fire in name only." That's NATO's top military officer U.S. General Philip Breedlove. 

Breedlove went on to tell reporters that, despite the 9-tier peace agreement the two sides agreed to back on September 5, the amount of artillery exchanged actually "matched some of the pre-ceasefire levels."

Breedlove's comments come a day after Ukrainian and separatist officials came together to create new provisions to try and reduce the violence.

The new deal institutes a 30-kilometer "buffer zone" meant to push troops from both sides back 15 kilometers from the front lines, a ban on laying minefields and ban on foreign fighter planes over the area.

As the violent exchanges continue, thousands of opposition protestors marched in Moscow Sunday, with some accusing the Russian government of fueling the violence by backing the separatists.

The U.S. and western European nations have alleged Russia supports the separatists, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied those accusations.

This video includes images from Getty Images / Spencer Platt.