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Ukraine says more soldiers killed in
deadliest clashes in weeks
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 [January 30, 2017]
KIEV (Reuters) - The number of
Ukrainian soldiers killed in an offensive by pro-Russian separatists
over the past two days has risen to seven, Ukraine's military said on
Monday, in the deadliest outbreak of fighting in the east of the country
since mid-December.
The clashes between Ukraine's military and the pro-Russian separatists
coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump's call for better relations
with Moscow that has alarmed Kiev while the conflict in its eastern
region remains unresolved.
The rebels began attacking government positions in the eastern frontline
town of Avdiyivka on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. Five soldiers
were killed and nine wounded on Sunday and two more were killed on
Monday, they said.
"The situation in the Avdiyivka industrial zone is challenging. The
enemy continues to fire at our positions with heavy artillery and
mortars," Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told a
regular daily briefing.
The separatist website DAN said on Monday shelling by Ukrainian troops
had killed one female civilian and wounded three others in the
rebel-held town of Makiyivka, south of Avdiyivka. The reports could not
be independently verified.
On Sunday the separatists said one of their fighters had been killed
during heavy Ukrainian shelling of their positions.
Both sides accuse the other of violating a two-year-old ceasefire deal
on a near-daily basis.
Close to 10,000 people have been killed since fighting between Ukrainian
troops and rebels seeking independence from Kiev first erupted in April
2014.
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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was due to discuss the state of
the conflict on Monday in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, who helped broker the Minsk ceasefire deal.
Ukraine and NATO accuse the Kremlin of supporting the rebels with
troops and weapons, which it denies. The United States and European
Union have imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict, as well as
for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.
Ukraine is anxious that international resolve to hold Russia to
account may waver following the election of Trump, who has spoken of
possibly lifting sanctions against Moscow.
Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday and
the two men agreed to try to rebuild strained ties and to cooperate
in Syria.
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice;
Editing by Gareth Jones)
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