Talakovka , Ukraine ( CNN ) Artillery and rocket fire can be heard almost constantly in the village Talakovka , about 10 kilometers from the strategic port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine . The Ukrainian army has dug in here , fearing a possible last-minute assault by pro-Russian separatists ahead of a planned ceasefire late Saturday . Armored vehicles with cannons mounted on top fired from a front line position with tanks standing nearby . The unit commander , who only identified himself as `` Pavel , '' said he did not believe the ceasefire would hold . `` We know about this so-called ceasefire . We have had agreements before . The separatists have broken them frequently . But we will stick to the agreements and stop the violence coming from their side , '' he said as artillery barrages could be heard firing off in the distance . Over his walkie-talkie a voice could be heard saying : `` Our artillery is in action . '' Pavel says pro-Russian separatists have tried several times to overrun his positions , but were repelled each time . Ukrainian government officials including the prime minister have expressed doubts that the Minsk truce will succeed , and those doubts are also on display in Mariupol . We witnessed columns of tanks and armored vehicles making their way to the front line . But the Ukrainian military also has another problem -- a lack of modern equipment . One soldier appeared to need medical attention after a tank 's radiator seemed to blow up close to his head , leaving the vehicle and its crew engulfed in a cloud of white smoke . The constant shelling is taking its toll on the civilian population in the areas around Mariupol . In the village of Sartana , 58-year-old Anna Blagovjestova said she was in her house when a rocket hit the neighbor 's backyard , spraying shrapnel onto the building . The man living next door was killed . Police officers were busy trying to dig the remnants of the rocket out of a hole the projectile had pierced in the ground when our crew arrived at the scene . `` I have two grandchildren here , '' she said , shaking . `` They are one and three years old . Of course we are very scared . '' Blagovjestova blamed Ukrainian forces for firing the rocket , saying she was all but certain that it came from the area where the army is stationed . `` We do n't need the Ukrainian army here , '' she said `` We do n't need army . Everyone who came here with weapons started wars . Please make them go away from here . '' But for now it appears as though both sides are digging in , with very little trust that this time a ceasefire might lead to a lasting peace .
Ukrainian army in Mariupol fears last-minute assault by separatists ahead of ceasefire . The rebels have been fighting for Donetsk and Luhansk regions since April 2014.