Ukraine: 7 Ukrainian troops died in heavy clashes with Donbass rebels
Ukraine said on Tuesday seven of its soldiers had been killed and 14 wounded in “very heated” fighting that marked the bloodiest clashes with pro-Russian separatists in two months.
The announcement - the highest daily death toll since Ukraine reported seven of its soldiers dying on May 24 - follows a flurry of talks between world leaders and Moscow on halting the 26-month war.
“In the past 24 hours, as a result of military operations, seven Ukrainian servicemen died and 14 were injured,” military spokesperson Andriy Lysenko told reporters.
Lysenko told AFP the fighting had “become very, very heated” in the past few days.
“Things have escalated for the simple reason that this is what (the rebels) want,” Lysenko said. “They do not want to live in peace.”