Nine killed, 18 wounded in eastern Ukraine violence
KYIV, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed and 18 others were wounded in the latest violent attacks in eastern Ukraine, reports showed Friday.
The press service of the Ukrainian military forces said in a statement that three civilians were killed and another three injured in overnight shelling in residential areas of towns and villages in eastern Ukraine.
The government accused the independence-seeking insurgents of being responsible for the civilian casualties, saying that they used mortars and rocket launchers during the attacks.
Separately, Andrei Lysenko, spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), said that the clashes between Ukrainian troops and rebels in the past day left six government soldiers dead and 13 wounded.
The press service of the NSDC said in a statement that the insurgents suffered “heavy losses” during the latest clashes, but the report was not confirmed by the rebels.
The information bureau of the insurgent forces said in a statement that two rebel fighters were wounded in the past day, but no one died. The statement also blamed government troops for shelling on populated areas.
The armed conflicts in eastern Ukrainian regions has been raging since mid-April, killing more than 4,300 people.