At least 18 killed in Ukraine shelling

At least 18 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine in new artillery shelling just a day after a peace deal was signed to end the 10-month conflict.

Pro-Moscow rebels and government officials said on Friday that seven civilians were killed across the conflict zone during the past 24 hours while Ukraine's military said 11 soldiers lost their lives.

The rebels and Kiev agreed to a wide-ranging peace plan on Thursday after marathon talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

A ceasefire across the conflict zone was meant to start at midnight Ukraine time on Sunday with both sides to begin pulling back heavy weaponry from along the frontline no later than two day after that.

In the run-up to the truce, Ukraine's military said on Friday that fighting remained fiercest around the strategic town of Debaltseve.

Ukraine said rebels had fired missiles at the beleaguered railway hub, mid-way between the main separatist bastions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

An AFP journalist in the rebel capital of Donetsk said that sporadic missile salvos and dozens of artillery bombardments could be heard around the city early on Friday morning.

Ukraine warned the rebels could make a final push to seize Debaltseve and the port city of Mariupol, and has accused Russia of deploying another 50 tanks across the border during the talks in Minsk.