Kiev: Seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the past day of fighting with pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country, the military said Thursday, the biggest daily toll in more than two weeks.
“Over the last 24 hours, we have lost seven servicemen, 11 were injured,” Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told reporters.
After a lull in fighting at the weekend, when Ukraine held snap parliamentary elections, Kiev has accused rebels of attacking their positions over the past three days.
Lysenko said the rebels were most active in the south of Donetsk region, where Kiev still controls the large industrial hub of Mariupol, a port city on the Azov sea.
The latest figure puts Kiev’s military losses at 160 since the September 5 signing of a shaky ceasefire deal with rebels.
Overall, well over 3,700 people - mainly civilians - have died since the start of fighting in April, according to UN estimates.
The pro-Kiev governor of the Lugansk region, one of two areas where separatists declared independent “people’s republics”, said Thursday that rebel attacks on the village of Novotoshkivske west of Lugansk killed one civilian.
“There are injured civilians, one person died, and several buildings destroyed,” governor Gennadiy Moskal said in a statement.
Shelling also hit a reservoir in Gorlivka, a rebel-controlled town in Donetsk region, injuring two people, according to the regional water utility company.
