DONETSK (Sputnik) – Kiev forces have suffered “huge losses” in the fighting near the city of Marinka with 400 Ukrainian soldiers killed and some 1,000 injured, the leader of the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Friday.
"According to our figures, Ukrainian forces lost around 400 individuals and upwards to 1,000 injured," Alexander Zakharchenko told journalists, adding that 60 pieces of equipment were also destroyed without giving specifics.
Ukrainian officials publicly acknowledged that Kiev used heavy artillery in the fighting in violation of the Minsk peace accords.
The eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic is abiding by the Minsk agreements, but will not tolerate strikes by Kiev forces and will protect its territory, DPR reconciliation negotiator Denis Pushilin said Thursday.
