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It should be noted that it had earlier announced the first death of a soldier, in shelling by pro-Russian separatists this morning in the region, where escalating violence this week is raising concerns that it could lead to military action by Russia.
"During shelling, a Ukrainian soldier was fatally wounded by shrapnel," the military command in eastern Ukraine confirmed.
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In addition, the Ukrainian military said that mercenaries have arrived in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine to carry out provocations with the cooperation of Russian intelligence agencies.
"The aim of these provocations will of course be to accuse Ukraine of further escalation," the army said in a statement.
Ukraine has accused Russia of planning provocations aimed at causing civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine to give Moscow an excuse to attack.
Mortar shells fell today near where Ukraine's Interior Minister Denis Monastirsky, who was touring the front line in the east of the country, was standing, according to French News Agency reporters.
The incident, in which no one was injured, occurred near the village of Novoluganske, in the Donetsk region, on the front line with pro-Russian separatists, where the minister was on a tour, accompanied by Ukrainian MPs.
The shells exploded as Monastirsky was leaving the trenches separating Ukrainian forces from the separatists, after giving an interview to international media.
The journalists and officials left shortly afterwards.
Two soldiers killed and four wounded in shelling
The Ukrainian military said shortly before that two soldiers were killed and four wounded in the shelling today. At least one of them, a 35-year-old sergeant, a father of three, was killed near Novoluganske early this morning.
According to the Ukrainian security forces, 70 violations have been reported so far, in 60 of which "weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements" were used. As a result, two Ukrainian soldiers were fatally wounded and four others were injured.
The Ukrainian Operation United Forces in Donbass assured that it is "controlling the situation and responding appropriately to possible enemy threats".
For their part, the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics accused the Ukrainian army of violating the ceasefire. According to the separatist authorities in Lugansk, in the last 24 hours Ukrainian soldiers violated the ceasefire 31 times and bombed 16 settlements.
Source.gr
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