The Ukrainian army has begun a wide-scale operation against pro-Russian separatists in the east after Ukrainian president announced the end to a ten-day ceasefire on Monday.
Fierce clashes between the army and the separatists followed the announcement by Petro Poroshenko, who accused the separatists of having violated the ceasefire more than a hundred times.
According to Ukrainian Unian news agency, government forces bombed a separatist training camp in the city of Slavyansk, which reportedly left around 250 separatists dead.
The separatists also attacked an armored army vehicle in the city with rocket-propelled grenades, injuring six Ukrainian soldiers.
In addition, four people have been killed and five others wounded in Kramatorsk, as a public bus found itself in the middle of gunfire between the army and separatists.
Meanwhile, a group of 30 separatists attempted to attack a police station in central Donetsk but were repelled by security forces, an AA correspondent reported from Donetsk. A police officer died and two others were wounded in the gunfight. Many separatists were also reportedly killed.
Petro Poroshenko's decision not to renew the ceasefire comes after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on Monday, in search for a solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
Poroshenko announced the temporary ceasefire on June 20 as part of a plan to resolve the unrest that has gripped the eastern part of Ukraine since April.
www.aa.com.tr/en
