Here is a short news item from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on Kyiv's claim that it has killed as many as 200 separatists near Donetsk in the past 24 hours or so:
The press service of Ukraine's military operation against pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine says artillery fired by government forces has killed up to 200 rebels near the Donetsk airport since November 6.
The number is much higher than most previous tolls reported for a single day of fighting in the conflict, which has killed more than 4,000 combatants and civilians since May, and could not be independently confirmed.
The press center of what Kyiv calls the "Antiterrorist Operation" (ATO) said on its Facebook page on November 7 that "militants who were firing at Ukrainian military positions on the grounds of the Donetsk airport yesterday were eliminated by artillery units of the ATO forces."
It said that "verified information" indicates that the artillery fire had "killed up to 200 militants" and destroyed or damaged four tanks and other military equipment.
The government-held Donetsk airport has been a focus of persistent fighting despite a September 5 cease-fire.
(With reporting by Interfax)
Here is some poignant Reuters footage of today's funeral of two Donetsk teenagers who were killed in shelling while playing football yesterday. Many others were wounded in the incident. Both the pro-Kyiv and pro--Russian sides in the Ukraine conflict have accused each other of carrying out the shelling, which is a frequent occurrence in the city, despite a cease-fire declared on September 5.
Here is that Facebook post by the press service of Ukraine's operation against pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, saying artillery fired by government forces has killed up to 200 rebels near the Donetsk airport since November 6.
More from Interfax on that report of 200 rebels being killed by government forces near Donetsk airport:
The press center for the military operation in eastern Ukraine has said that the troops defending the Donetsk airport have eliminated about 200 militiamen in the past 24
hours.
"The militants, who were firing at the Ukrainian military positions on the grounds of Donetsk airport yesterday, were eliminated by artillery units of the ATO (antiterrorist operation) forces. Verified information suggests that the firing raid has destroyed or damaged four tanks, two armored personnel carriers, two howitzers, infantry fighting vehicles and killed up to 200 militants," according to the press center's Facebook page.
