#Politics #Ukraine Heavy #casualties reported in escalating #violence in E. #Ukraine Violence has escalated in Ukraine over the past day with five people, including children, reportedly having been killed and 17 others wounded, reports showed Wednesday. Andrei Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, said two government troops were killed and nine other wounded in an intense offensive by independence-seeking insurgents that included the use of artillery, rockets and mortars. Rebels had fired 40 times on Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours, with fighting concentrating in the rebel main stronghold, the city of Donetsk, the press service of Ukrainian military forces said. Shelling and blasts were heard in the city overnight, killing a young man and wounding four other civilians, the press service of Donetsk municipal council said in a statement. Local media also reported that at least two children were killed and four others wounded on Wednesday afternoon, when shell hit a school playground near Donetsk airport, but that information was not immediately confirmed by officials. Ukraines eastern regions experienced an unusual lull in fighting since the recent weekend. No deaths have been reported from Sunday through Tuesday. The violence escalated after on late Tuesday Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked the parliament to repeal the law that grants special status to Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Poroshenkos decision came after on Sunday, the insurgents in eastern Ukraine held controversial presidential and parliamentary elections, which Kiev deemed illegitimate. (Edited by Liang Xizhi)
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 02:45:28 +0000
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