A pro-Russian rebels tank rolls to take position near the Sergey Prokofiev Airport, Donetsk (File photo from Reuters)
At least 22 civilians and soldiers have been wounded in the latest shelling between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in southeastern Ukraine, officials said Friday.
The mayor's office in Donetsk, the biggest rebel-held city, said there had been shelling most of the night in two neighbourhoods facing the nearby ruins of the international airport, where government soldiers are holding out.
"As a result of fighting..., 15 people suffered shrapnel wounds of varying degrees of seriousness," the press office for city hall said. It was not immediately clear whether this referred only to civilians, or also to members of the separatist units, who typically do not give out casualty figures.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said rebels had attacked positions in the region around Lugansk overnight, twice using Grad multiple rocket systems and "repeatedly with mortars."
Seven paratroopers were wounded by an improvised explosive device during a patrol near the village of Sokolnyky, also in the Lugansk region.
"The situation around Donetsk airport remains tense. This strategic site is under our control," the military press service said.