A total of three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another seven were wounded in ongoing fighting in southeastern Ukraine, according to Russian language news accounts.
For most of the past week, fighting between the Russian backed rebels of Donetsk and Lugansk, and Ukrainians have subsided somewhat, but in the last 48 hours artillery attacks for both sides have increased.
According to a news account in lb.ua, quoting the Ukrainian ministry of defense, three Ukrainian soldiers were killed Friday along with four wounded.
The fighting is confined to three specific areas, in southern Donetsk, near Donetsk city and in northwestern Donetsk.
The lb.ua report said that rebel forces fired on Ukrainian positions a total of 112 times in a 24 hour period.
Rebel 82mm, 120mm mortars and 122mm artillery struck Ukrainian positions at Lebedinskoye, Shirokino, Gnutovo and Vodyanovo.
Rebel mortars and artillery, including heavy 152mm artillery struck Ukrainian positions at Marinka and Krasnogorovka.
In Avdievka, near Donetsk city, rebel mortars were reported hitting targets there and in old Avdievka, nearer to the line of contact near Gorlovka.
On Saturday, rebel 82mm and 120mm mortars fired on Ukrainian positions at Avdievka and Peski. Near the Sea of Azov, rebel 120mm mortar fire hit Vodyanovo and 122mm artillery struck Ukrainian positions at Gnutovo.
Rebel media claimed overnight Friday to Saturday that Ukrainian forces fired on rebel positions a total of 307 times using medium and heavy artillery. Among the locations struck by Ukrainian artillery near Mariupol was Novoazovskiy. Ukrainian artillery also struck rebel positions at Yelenovka, near the Donetsk airport, and western districts of Donetsk city, as well as at Zaitsevo, Gorlovka and Yasinovataya.
According to a summary in novorosinform.org, Ukrainian artillery hit the Petrovsky district of Donetsk city, Spartak, Avidevka, Gorlovka and Zaitsevo. In the south, Ukrainian artillery hit Kominternovo and Zaichenko.
Both sides are claiming they struck each others' positions in Yasinovataya, with the Ukrainians claiming that observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation witnessed the artillery strikes. According to rebel media, one civilian was wounded in the artillery attacks.
Rebel media also claimed to have monitored radio traffic that reported eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an ammunition handling accident in Opytnoye, where four self propelled 122mm artillery vehicles were parked. Two of the SP vehicles were destroyed in the incident.