According to intelligence data, two militants were killed, while three others were wounded.

Russian-led forces mounted 43 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the past day, using artillery systems and 120mm and 82mm mortars 10 times.

"There have been no casualties among the Ukrainian servicemen over the past 24 hours and since the beginning of the current day. According to intelligence data, two militants were killed, while three others were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on May 19, 2018.

Read alsoTerrorist leader Girkin expects Ukraine army may soon liberate several settlements in Donbas

Active military operations continued in the Luhansk sector near the town of Popasna, and the villages of Novozvanivka and Troyitske.

In the direction of the town of Horlivka, the enemy was active near the villages of Zaitseve and Zalizne, as well as near the Avdiyivka industrial zone and the village of Pisky, which are in the Donetsk sector.

In the Mariupol sector, the hostilities continued near the villages of Vodiane, Lebedynske and Shyrokyne.

"A sniper pair was spotted near Vodiane. The fire was quickly suppressed by counter-sniper measures," reads the report. </s> Ukrainian authorities say eight military personnel have been captured by Russia-backed fighters in the eastern region of Donetsk.

 

 Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operations (OOS) in the country's east said in a statement that the soldiers were captured on May 22.

 

 "According to preliminary information, early in the morning today, eight military personnel of Ukraine's armed forces from the OOS took a wrong turn while moving aboard a truck near the town of Novotroyitske and found themselves in temporarily occupied territory, where they were captured by fighters of the Russian Federation's armed forces," the OOS statement said.

 

 The Ukrainian military frequently refers to Russia-backed separatist forces who hold parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as "fighters of the Russian Federation's armed forces."

It also says that many regular Russian soldiers have fought in the conflict there, a claim that Moscow denies despite what Kyiv and NATO say is incontrovertible evidence.

 

 Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said earlier in the day that three soldiers were wounded in five cease-fire violations by Russia-backed forces over the previous 24 hours.

 

 The separatists in turn accused government forces of violating the cease-fire twice since May 21.

 

 Some 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since April 2014, when Russia encouraged separatism following the downfall of Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

 

 Cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold.

 

 A new cease-fire agreement was reached on March 8, but both sides have accused each other of repeated violations since then.

 

 The conflict in the region known as the Donbas is one of the challenges facing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was inaugurated on May 20. </s> The Joint Forces command is trying to determine their whereabouts.

Eight soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost their way and have been taken captive by the Russia-led forces in the occupied part of Donbas.

Read alsoThree Ukraine soldiers wounded in Donbas amid five enemy attacks on Tuesday

"We inform that, according to preliminary information, eight members of Ukraine's Joint Forces, moving by truck near the village of Novotroyitske, mistakenly deviated from their route this morning and entered the temporarily occupied territory, where they were detained by members of the Russian armed forces," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation wrote on Facebook on May 22.

The Joint Forces command is taking all possible measures to determine the Ukrainian soldiers' whereabouts and return them.

The military prosecutor's office included data in the State Register of Pretrial Investigations. The investigation into the incident is underway. </s> Kyiv says four Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives in the latest clashes with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east.

 

 The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the pro-Russia separatists opened fire at Ukrainian military positions in the Donetsk region on July 6, using grenade-launchers, machine guns, and assault rifles.

 

 "We say with sadness that, as a result of the enemy's attacks today, according to the information in our possession, four of our heroes sustained injuries, to which they succumbed," the statement says.

 

 Since April 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian forces and the separatists, who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

 

 A new cease-fire agreement was supposed to go into effect on July 22 in accordance with an agreement reached in Minsk on July 17 by Ukrainian and Russian envoys as well as members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

 

 But the sides have been accusing each other of violating the agreement since then.

 

 Cease-fire road maps announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold. </s> Kyiv says four Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives in the latest clashes with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east.



The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the pro-Russia separatists opened fire at Ukrainian military positions in the Donetsk region on August 6, using grenade-launchers, machine guns, and assault rifles.

"We say with sadness that, as a result of the enemy's attacks today, according to the information in our possession, four of our heroes sustained injuries, to which they succumbed," the statement said.

It was the highest daily casualty toll in the Ukrainian conflict since a truce was agreed nearly three weeks ago.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the incident an attempt to "undermine" Ukraine's efforts toward peace, and called on France, Germany, and Russia to "meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations."

Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia are part of the so-called Normandy format for talks aimed at putting an end to fighting between Ukrainian forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Zelenskiy wrote on his Facebook page that Kyiv "will not cease to work toward ending hostilities or leave any attack on our soldiers unanswered."

Since April 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.



A new cease-fire agreement was supposed to go into effect on July 22 in accordance with an agreement reached in Minsk on July 17 by Ukrainian and Russian envoys as well as members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).



But the sides have been accusing each other of violating the agreement since then.



Cease-fire road maps announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold.

With reporting by AP </s> A total of eight Ukrainian military men have off routed and taken hostage by militants in Donetsk region.

Press-center of the JFO has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

The Command of the JFO is taking all possible measures to locate and return them.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on May 21, militants fired upon positions of Joint Forces Operation units five times, three Ukrainian military men were wounded. </s> Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has spoken with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine.

"I called him urgently. I told him that this brings us no closer to peace," Zelenskiy said during a news briefing in Kyiv, adding that he had urged Putin to ask the Moscow-backed separatists to "stop killing our people."

He also said Putin had promised him something, details of which would be disclosed later.

The Kremlin has not commented on the phone call.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement on August 6 that the separatists had opened fire at Ukrainian military positions in the Donetsk region earlier that day, using grenade-launchers, machine guns, and assault rifles.

"As a result of the enemy's attacks today, according to the information in our possession, four of our heroes sustained injuries, to which they succumbed," the statement said.

It was the highest daily casualty toll in the Ukrainian conflict since a truce was agreed nearly three weeks ago.

Since April 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

A cease-fire agreement, involving Russia and Ukraine and brokered by France and Germany, ended major conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2015, although regular small-scale clashes have continued to cost lives. </s> Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack in the war-torn east of the country on Tuesday, Kiev said, the highest daily casualty toll over the past two weeks.

The troops died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack near the village of Pavlopil close to the Kiev-controlled port city of Mariupol, said Oleksandr Danylyuk, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident an attempt to "undermine" Ukraine's efforts toward peace and called on France, Germany and Russia to "meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations".

"We will not cease to work toward ending hostilities or leave any attack on our soldiers unanswered," Zelensky wrote on his Facebook page.

Tuesday's casualties were the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on July 21 -- the latest attempt to ease hostilities between Ukraine forces and pro-Russian separatists.

In a separate attack, Moscow-backed separatists fired at the positions of the Ukrainian army near the village of Bogdanivka located south of the Donetsk rebel stronghold, military spokesman Dmytro Gutsulyak said.

Separatists used an infantry fighting vehicle, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns, he said.

Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who carved out two "people's republics" in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, have fought since April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.

Some 13,000 people have been killed in the violence that Kiev blames on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow has denied claims it has funneled troops and arms across the border.

A series of truce agreements, brokered by France and Germany, have helped dampen hostilities but sporadic and sometimes serious clashes continue. </s> KIEV/NOVOLUHANSKE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Fighting in eastern Ukraine has escalated to the worst level in months, officials monitoring the conflict said on Tuesday, after the shelling of a frontline village wounded eight civilians and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.

 A Russia-backed insurgency erupted in 2014 and the bloodshed has continued despite a ceasefire deal that was meant to end a conflict in which more than 10,000 people have been killed, with casualties reported on a near-daily basis.

 The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which monitors the implementation of the peace agreement, said it had recorded 16,000 ceasefire violations between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17, a 35 percent increase on the week before. 

 "We note with concern a sharp deterioration in the security situation with ceasefire violations reaching levels not recorded since February this year," chief monitor Ertugrul Apakan said in a statement.

 In February, a surge of violence around the government-held industrial town of Avdiivka cut off power and water to thousands of civilians on the front line.

 Apakan said the latest escalation reflected an established trend "in which a recommitment to the ceasefire by the sides was followed by a steady increase in the level of violence, culminating in fierce fighting". 

 Apakan's comments followed warnings from aid agencies over the humanitarian situation in the eastern Donbass region, particularly given Monday's attack on the government-controlled village of Novoluhanske.

 The United Nations' OCHA humanitarian arm said on Twitter heavy shelling near Novoluhanske was affecting 2,000 residents.

 People are fleeing the area in blizzard conditions, it said.

 Eight civilians were wounded and more than 50 buildings were damaged in the shelling, which also temporarily cut power supplies, the regional Kiev-controlled Donetsk administration said.

 A Reuters witness saw residents picking their way through the rubble of destroyed homes and surveying fire-blackened buildings.

 The U.S. State Department said the humanitarian situation was "dire" because of the shelling, which it blamed on Russian-led forces firing Grad multiple-launch rockets.

 The Ukrainian military on Tuesday accused pro-Russian separatists of deliberately firing more than 40 times from multiple-launch rocket systems at Novoluhanske. 

 Meanwhile, the rebel command said attacks from the Ukrainian side had almost doubled in the past 24 hours, according to separatist news website DAN.

 Rebels deny attacking Novoluhanske and say the Ukrainian military fired at the village to justify their attacks on separatist-held civilian areas, according to DAN.

 The U.S. State Department also voiced concern about fighting around the Donetsk water filtration station, which has a system of pipes that carry chlorine gas.

 "If those were to go off in this area, which is close to where people live, it could be potentially devastating," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

 She said civilian water workers were trapped in the station's bomb shelter and could not get out because of fighting.

 In an effort to end the deadlock, the international community, including the United States, has in recent months been advocating for the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in the Donbass.

 Both Kiev and Moscow backed the idea but disagree on whether the troops should be positioned on the rebel-controlled part of the Ukraine-Russia border, so no decision was made.

 Russia denies accusations from Ukraine and NATO that it supports the rebels with troops and weapons.

 

 (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice and Oleksandr Klymenko; additional reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Alison Williams and Grant McCool)
Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation says Russian-led militants have mounted 43 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the past 24 hours, using artillery systems and 120mm and 82mm mortars 10 times, with no casualties among the Ukrainian servicemen. According to intelligence data, two militants are killed and three others wounded.