DONETSK (Sputnik) – Shelling of the city of Donetsk in Ukraine's conflict-torn southeast continues and local residents say it has intensified in the past 48 hours, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.
According to the correspondent, the sound of explosions is constantly heard in the city center.
Earlier it was reported that in the past 24 hours, 7 civilians died in the city while 19 others were wounded.
Kiev forces continue to clash with independence supporters in southeastern Ukraine, despite the ceasefire agreement signed between the two sides in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in September, 2014.
Donetsk remains one of the hot spots of fighting, along with Debaltseve, also located in the Donetsk region. Thousands of Kiev soldiers are currently trapped in Debaltseve, which is surrounded by independence fighters.
Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in Ukraine's southeast last spring, in response to local residents' refusal to recognize the new coup-installed government. According to the latest UN estimates, over 5,300 people have died as a result of violence in the country.
