KIEV, Ukraine
At least 40 pro-Russian separatists have been killed in clashes with the Ukrainian army in the eastern part of the country over the last 24 hours, the Kiev government announced on Sunday.
Ukrainian anti-terror operations press service said on Sunday separatists mounted an attack in Makarovo town in Luhansk and 24 residential areas in Donetsk, despite the cease-fire deal agreed on September 5.
Meanwhile, United States Mission to the United Nations said via social network that as of September 16, 3,219 people were killed and 8,198 people were wounded in months of clashes.
Ukraine and Russia on Saturday signed an agreement to halt fighting in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
The memorandum signed by representatives of the two countries and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, is the latest attempt to stabilize the region following repeated violations of the ceasefire.
On Sunday, the EU issued a statement welcoming the agreement and calling for its full implementation.
"All elements of the Minsk Protocol and of this agreement must now be fully implemented by all sides," the statement said.
Fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in April and the U.S., EU and Ukraine allege Moscow has since unofficially backed pro-Russian separatists with arms, training and even direct military support.
More than 2,400 people lost in the eastern part of the country were known to be hostages, Ukrainian officials said.
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