Ukraine said on February 1 that one of its soldiers had been killed in the country's east, where fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has flared over the past four days. Ukrainian officials had reported the deaths of seven soldiers in the past few days, the highest casualty toll in weeks. Funerals were held on February 1 for many of the victims.
The sides traded blame for the surge in hostilities concentrated around the government-controlled town of Avdiyivka. An emergency official said that 175 people, including 88 children, had been evacuated to nearby towns by bus. Shelling left many residents of the town, north of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, without electricity, water supplies, and heating in temperatures well below freezing.
The sides traded blame for the surge in hostilities concentrated around the government-controlled town of Avdiyivka. An emergency official said that 175 people, including 88 children, had been evacuated to nearby towns by bus. Shelling left many residents of the town, north of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, without electricity, water supplies, and heating in temperatures well below freezing.
