At least 40 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine due to the escalated fighting between the country's forces and pro-Russian separatists as truce talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk ended but no deal was signed.
According to the BBC, Ukrainian officials said that 15 soldiers and 12 civilians died in the past 24 hours while the separatists reported 13 casualties.
The separatists also claim to have captured the town of Vuhlehirsk and surrounded the key hub of Debaltseve while the Ukrainian military denies it.
Representatives of Ukraine and Russia, as well as rebel envoys and members the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE), took part in the meeting in Minsk.
Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and Kiev's representative at the talks said that the efforts were "thwarted" by the separatists.
