A Ukrainian soldier was killed in the latest attacks launched by pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine’s breakaway east, its military said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian army has been locked in a long-running conflict with separatist fighters in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014 after Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula from Kiev.
Ukraine’s military said on Facebook that over the past 24 hours breakaway fighters had launched five attacks on its troops with mortars, grenade launchers, and heavy machine guns.
“As a result of enemy fire, one soldier received a fatal gunshot wound,” the statement said.
Ukraine accuses the separatists of shelling with mortars and attacking with other large-caliber weapons almost on a daily basis, shredding a ceasefire brokered last year.
Russia amassed 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders in April after an uptick in violence.
While Moscow soon announced a pullback, both Ukraine and the United States say the withdrawal has been limited.
The conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to support the separatists, which Moscow denies.
