Heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine

AVDIIVKA (UKRAINE): Ukraine reported on Wednesday that at least one soldier was killed overnight and more injured in the country’s east as heavy fighting between government troops and Russiabacked rebels continued.

Heavy shelling was heard in the center of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk on Wednesday morning. The flare-up in fighting in eastern Ukraine, which began over the weekend, killed eight people late on Monday and early Tuesday including civilians, and injuring dozens on both sides.

The Ukrainian government’s press office for the military operation in the east reported one soldier killed, and nine soldiers and one civilian injured late on Tuesday.

In Makiivka, the rebel-controlled northeastern suburb of Donetsk, two coal miners were injured on Wednesday morning by shelling as they were walking to work, the rebels’ Donetsk News Agency reported.

Fighting is concentrated around the suburb of Avdiivka on the northern outskirts of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk where residents have been without electricity for days.

Fighting cut the power supply to Avdiivka which has been without heating and electricity for days, but water service was restored on Tuesday.

An Associated Press reporter outside Avdiivka saw a transporter carrying Grad multiple missile launcher with empty rounds drive away from the front line on Wednesday.

Grad is said to be among the heavy weaponry that both warring parties committed to pull back when they signed a cease-fire agreement in Minsk in 2015.