Ukrainian soldier killed in east: Military

Despite a relatively stable truce with pro-Russia fighters, Ukraine’s military says it has lost a soldier in the country’s restive east.

On Wednesday, the military alleged on its Facebook page that it had come under attack by pro-Russians, who it said had targeted their positions south of the industrial town of Avdiivka.

It said two soldiers were also injured.

Conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine after people in the country’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for re-unification with Russia in March 2014. The West brands the development as Moscow’s annexation of the territory. The United States and its allies in Europe accuse Moscow of having a major hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed over 8,000 lives and displaced 1.5 million.

Russia denies the charges, saying it is supporting the ethnic Russian population living in the area against what it calls the continued suppression of their rights by the Ukrainian government.

The situation exacerbated after Kiev dispatched troops to the eastern Ukrainian regions of Lugansk and Donetsk in April 2014 in an attempt to quell pro-Russians there.