Ukraine Army Pushes into Rebel-Held Territory
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Ukrainian troops say they have made a significant push into rebel-held territory, claiming control over a large part of the separatist stronghold of Luhansk and nearly encircling Donetsk, the largest city still in rebel hands.
The push follows days of street battles and weeks of shelling, Reuters reported.
The army's advance against pro-Russian separatists comes as the civilian death toll is mounting from sustained artillery strikes and rebel cities are slipping into a humanitarian disaster.
At least 52 deaths were reported on Wednesday, along with 64 wounded. Due to the dangers of the war zone in eastern Ukraine, no deaths were reported from Luhansk, meaning the actual toll could be even higher.
Ukrainian troops have been trying for weeks to drive the rebels out of Luhansk and cut off Donetsk, a city of 1 million that has shrunk by a third as frightened residents fled.
In the last few days, several neighbourhoods in Donetsk have been hit with sustained artillery fire and fighting on the city's outskirts has become more intense.
In the Donetsk region, 43 locals were killed and 42 wounded in less than two days, including in two deadly artillery attacks on Wednesday afternoon in the capital, Donetsk city, local authorities said.
In addition, nine troops died and 22 were wounded in fighting in a town outside Donetsk.
Luhansk city authorities, meanwhile, reported running battles between the two sides.
By early evening, government forces took control of "significant parts" of Luhansk, an eastern city just 20km from the Russian border, said Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Council.
The renewed offensive comes as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gears up for a meeting in Minsk with Russia's Vladimir Putin, the heads of Belarus and Kazakhstan, and EU officials next week.
