A Ukrainian soldier was killed by gunfire from pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, the Ukrainian army said on Tuesday (August 17th), denouncing violations of the ceasefire, tension rising in this conflict zone.
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In the past 24 hours, the separatists have reportedly launched five mortar, grenade launcher and automatic weapon attacks against the Ukrainian army, the latter said in a Facebook post.
"
Following enemy fire, a soldier was fatally wounded by gunshot
", according to this press release.
In conflict since 2014
Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that is supposed to be in effect.
Ukraine has been in conflict since 2014 with separatists in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, a war that erupted shortly after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula and has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Russia has always claimed not to arm the separatists, while Kiev and its Western allies have denounced the sending of troops and weapons there.
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After a widely respected truce in the second half of 2020, tensions have escalated this year with in particular the deployment for several weeks by Russia of nearly 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian borders.