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173 government soldiers killed in east Ukraine conflict this year

Xinhua, October 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 173 government soldiers have been killed in a conflict with independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine since the beginning of 2016, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said Thursday.

"The ceasefire was violated more than 12,000 times, resulting in the deaths of 173 servicemen," Poltorak was quoted as saying by the Defense Ministry's press service.

The minister gave no figures on the casualties among civilians and members of the armed groups during this period.

Fighting has been raging in Ukraine's restive east since April 2014, when government troops launched offensives against the insurgents to regain control over the cities and towns they seized.

A ceasefire was signed in Minsk in September 2014 but fighting in the east between Ukrainian forces and rebels have continued despite the peace deal.

According to the latest UN estimates, at least 9,640 people, including civilians and combatants on both sides, were killed and 22,431 others wounded in the 30-month-old conflicts. Endi