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1 soldier killed, 13 wounded in eastern Ukraine as rebels intensify attacks

05 December 2014 00:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least one Ukrainian soldier was killed and 13 other wounded as independence-seeking insurgents intensified attacks on government positions, a military spokesman said Thursday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"Over the past day, we documented a record intensity of shelling from Grad rocket launchers and a record number of attacks carried out by the gunmen," said Andrei Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.

And the Ukrainian forces repealed 71 insurgent attacks in the last 24 hours, he said.

The fiercest fighting was raging around Donetsk airport as rebels launched a fresh offensive to capture the government-controlled facility, the spokesman said, adding that Ukrainian forces still hold the airport.

Donetsk, the largest city in the combat zone, has for months been the epicenter of conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in mid-April and has killed more than 4,300 people.

On Wednesday, Lysenko said that the government and the insurgent leadership are holding talks on a ceasefire, but no specific agreement has been reached yet on halting the hostilities.