5 killed in eastern Ukraine as violence flares

At least five people were killed and 13 others wounded in eastern Ukraine over the past day as violence flared with new vigor in the restive areas despite a declared ceasefire, authorities said Thursday.

Over the past 24 hours, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and six others injured in clashes with independence-seeking insurgents, said Andriy Lysenko, a government military spokesman.

The heaviest fighting is going on over the airport in the rebel-stronghold of Donetsk, Lysenko said, adding that the venue is still under control of Ukrainian forces.

"It is very difficult to maintain the positions, but our military is holding their grounds. There was no order to retreat," he told reporters.

Artillery fire and mortar blasts hit the area near the airport overnight, killing a civilian and wounding five others, Donetsk's municipal council said.

The upsurge in fighting was also reported in Lugansk region, where two civilians were killed and two others injured in shelling and gunfire.

Among those killed was a 27-year-old police officer from Ukraine's western Lvov region, who was shot dead by a sniper, said Gennady Moskal, head of the Lugansk Regional Administration, in a press statement.

The week-long continued violence in eastern Ukraine, which began shortly after winter holidays, added to worries that a ceasefire signed between the two warring sides last September may collapse.

Earlier in the day, Olexandr Turchynov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, warned that the conflict in eastern Ukraine may turn into a "continental war" if insurgents "resume their full-scaled combat actions." Endi