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The casualties, some of the worst losses for Kiev in days,
underscore the fragility of a two-week old ceasefire agreed
between Kiev and the rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine in a
conflict that has killed about 6,000 people.
The military source, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
gave no further details. A military spokesman said earlier that
rebels had shelled Ukrainian positions 22 times over the past
day.
Both Europe and the United States have voiced hope that the
Minsk accords agreed last month could lower tensions in a
conflict that has brought ties between Russia and the West to
their lowest since the Cold War.
Ukraine and the rebels accuse each other daily of shooting at
each others' front line positions. This has slowed
implementation of the new Minsk peace agreement, part of which
also envisages the withdrawal of heavy artillery.
The rebels have invited members of the media to witness guns
being led away from the front line, but the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says it cannot confirm
the withdrawal of weapons as they have not been given access to
see where the guns have been relocated.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Writing by Thomas Grove; Editing
by Lidia Kelly and Tom Heneghan)
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