At least 19 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 78 others wounded in clashes with pro-Russia forces in east Ukraine, a defense official says.
?Nineteen soldiers were killed in the last 24 hours and 78 wounded,? in shelling, rocket attacks and military clashes, military spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov told journalists in Kiev on Wednesday.
The clashes took place near the key railway town of Debaltseve in the volatile east.
On Tuesday, at least seven people were also reported dead and more than 20 injured in an attack on the town of Kramatorsk.
Violence has intensified in eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine in recent days ahead of planned peace talks later on Wednesday between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
The leaders of the four countries are expected to meet in Minsk to pave the way for a peace agreement after months of conflict in eastern Ukraine.
More than 5,500 people have been killed since violence erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, with over 12,900 injured.
AR/HMV/HRB
Source: Presstv.com
