Four soldiers were killed in fresh fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed insurgents today, the bloodiest clash in weeks in the war-torn country's east.
Kiev military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said three Ukrainian servicemen were killed and another wounded in the battle for control of the key industrial town of Avdiivka.
The outskirts of the Kiev-held steel town close to the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk has in recent months seen some of the fiercest clashes in the 33-month war.
"Today, the enemy attempted to seize the Avdiivka industrial zone," Motuzyanyk said, adding that the firefight involved artillery and large-calibre mortars.
A spokesman for the separatist forces told AFP that one rebel soldier died and another one was injured.
The fatalities came despite a ceasefire announced in December.
About 10,000 people have died since the start of a pro-Russian rebellion in 2014 that Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of masterminding.
Fighting has dragged on and neither side is willing to make concessions in the conflict that has pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.
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