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On Friday, the Ukrainian military reported that it had lost 23 soldiers in clashes in eastern Ukraine that threaten to shatter slim hopes of truce in the deadliest conflict in Europe in decades. The official spokesman for the assault on eastern Ukraine added that 93 soldiers had sustained “wounds and contusions of varying severity”.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, 19 of the 23 soldiers were killed by rocket fire originating from a Grad rocket launcher system mounted on a truck. Both Washington and Kiev insist that rebels could possess such a weapon only if it had been covertly supplied by the Russians.
“The rebels will pay for the life of every one of our servicemen with tens and hundreds of their own. Not a single terrorist will avoid responsibility.Every single one of them will get their just desserts”,Western-backed Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed in an emergency security meeting.
Friday’s death toll is the highest number since July 1st, when Poroshenko broke a ceasefire with the rebels and re-launched on offensive that dislodged militias in eastern strongholds.
The Ukrainian military separately claimed that it had “eliminated” nearly 100 fighters on Friday. Last weekend, reinvigorated government forces flushed out separatists from several towns and cities in eastern Ukraine with historic Russian ties. Almost all militiamen have since retreated to Lugansk and Donetsk, both cities capitals of their own “People’s Republic” which do not recognize the West-backed government and are looking to get annexed by Russia.
The conflict in Ukraine has claimed nearly 550 lives so far, and has displaced over tens of thousands across a rustbelt which was for a long time the backbone of the Ukrainian economy.
On Friday, Amnesty International said that it had recorded “hundreds” of acts of torture and abductions committed by rebels during the uprising. It also noted the “excessive force (which) may have been used… by Ukrainian forces” on several occasions.