Rival sides in E. Ukraine report first combat deaths since ceasefire

The rival parties in eastern Ukraine on Thursday have reported the first combat deaths in the conflict since the establishment of the fresh ceasefire last week.

Over the last 24 hours, two Ukrainian servicemen were killed and two others were wounded in 50 attacks carried out by independence-seeking insurgents, said government military spokesman Olexandr Motuzyanyk.

Meanwhile, senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said that one insurgent soldier was killed in the past day as the result of shelling on insurgent positions from grenade launchers.

There were no reports of civilian casualties.

The conflicting parties have started a new round of truce on Dec. 24, which resulted in four days free of fatalities and a substantial reduction in the number of injured. However, there was no a single day passing without ceasefire violations.

The conflict between government troops and rebels in eastern Ukraine has been raging since April 2014, claiming some 10,000 lives. Endit