Two gov't soldiers killed, 9 injured in escalated violence in East Ukraine
Xinhua,May 23, 2018 Adjust font size:
KIEV, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Two Ukrainian army soldiers were killed and nine others injured on Monday in escalated violence in eastern Ukraine, the government's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on Facebook Tuesday.
The losses marked one of the worst daily casualties of the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the new ceasefire on March 30.
According to the JFO, in the past 24 hours, the truce was violated 53 times, with hostilities along the entire contact line separating the conflicting forces.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine started in April 2014 after the government army launched offensives to regain control over the cities and towns seized by armed groups, who declared independence.
The comprehensive ceasefire is the key part of the Minsk peace agreements designed to end the conflict that has killed over 10,000 people.
More than 30 previous rounds of truce attempts have failed, with the two sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. Enditem