Four killed in eastern Ukraine amid fierce fighting

At least four people have been killed as fierce battles between government troops and pro-independence insurgents continued to rage in eastern Ukraine in the past day, officials said on Sunday.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and eight others were wounded in fighting with rebels across the region over the last 24 hours, Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council, told reporters.

Separately, Tatiana Pogukay, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry's department in Lugansk region, said shelling in Kryakovka village late Saturday killed a 14-year-old girl, her mother and grandmother.

The press office of the government's military operation blamed the rebels for shelling on populated areas, saying that the insurgents have violated a ceasefire deal 18 times in the past 24 hours.

In turn, the press service of insurgent forces said that Ukrainian troops were responsible for 45 mortar and rocket attacks on residential zones of the conflict-torn regions.

The Ukrainian forces and the insurgent leadership have repeatedly accused each other of regularly attacking civilian areas in eastern regions and violating the provisions of the bilateral truce deal.

The ceasefire protocol, designed to end the conflicts that have killed over 4,700 people, was signed between representatives from Kiev and the rebel leadership on Sept. 5, 2014 in Minsk. Endi