At least 19 people, including 13 Ukrainian troops, have been killed in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country over the last 24 hours, officials and rebels said Sunday.
At least 20 Ukrainian troops were also wounded, said Ukrainian defence official Volodymyr Poliovyi, as separatists pushed their offensive around key transport hub Debaltseve the day after truce talks collapsed.
Six civilians died in fighting in the self-declared separatist region of Donetsk and around Lugansk, officials and rebels said.
The latest casualties came after the collapse of peace talks in Minsk on Saturday aimed at thrashing out a ceasefire agreement to halt fighting that has killed more than 5,100 people since April 2014.
