NOVOLUHANSK, UKRAINE (Radio Free Europe/CNN) - Massive shelling and intense fighting has escalated in eastern Ukraine where Russian-backed separatists are fighting Ukraine national troops.
The OSCE monitors say it is the worst fighting since February. The small village of Novoluhansk had homes badly damaged and left at least eight civilians injured.
Heavy shelling damaged several buildings and set off fires in the eastern Ukrainian village of Novoluhansk during the night of Dec. 18.
Ukrainian military officials said at least 10 homes, a kindergarten, and a church were damaged by rockets fired by Russia-backed separatists in the region. According to a Ukrainian Defense Ministry statement, three of its soldiers were killed amid multiple cease-fire violations.
It said that separatist forces violated the cease-fire 14 times.
Separatists claimed that Ukraine's armed forces violated the cease-fire 17 times using assault rifles, grenade launchers, mortars, and artillery.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and the Russia-backed separatists who hold parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014.
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