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Soldier Killed in E. Ukraine Clashes


FILE - Ukrainian tanks move near Mariupol, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 21, 2015.
FILE - Ukrainian tanks move near Mariupol, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 21, 2015.

A Ukrainian soldier was killed, and eight others wounded, in attacks in the country's east, as fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists intensified despite a cease-fire deal.

Sunday's shelling took place near the de facto rebel capital of Donetsk.

Saturday, Ukraine reported five soldiers were killed in direct attacks by separatists.

Under the cease-fire deal, both sides are to have withdrawn most weapons from the frontline as part of a 12-point plan.

The rebels launched an uprising in March 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea, seeking to similarly break away from Kyiv after a pro-European Union government took power. More than 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supporting the rebels with troops and weapons, a claim Moscow denies.

Some material for this report came from AFP and Reuters.

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