Ukraine suffers first war death of year, two more soldiers wounded

A Ukrainian soldier was killed on Jan. 1 as Russian-led forces launched attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Donbas, again violating a cease-fire agreed in late December.

It was the first fatality this year in Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has been going on for more than four years and has claimed more than 10,000 lives, military and civilian.

Ukraine’s military said on Jan. 2. that another two soldiers were wounded in the attacks, which occurred in Hnutove near the port city of Mariupol in the south of Donetsk Oblast, and at Novotashkivsk in Luhansk Oblast.

According to the press service of the Joint Forces Operation, which oversees Ukraine’s defense against Russian-led attacks in the Donbas, the enemy used 82mm mortars and an infantry fighting vehicle, as well as grenade launchers and small arms in three separate attacks on Ukrainian defensive positions.

It did not say where the Ukrainian soldier was killed or where the wounding of the two soldiers occurred.

The press service also said that according to intelligence reports, one member of the Russian-led forces was killed in the fighting and four others wounded.

It added that during the current day (Jan. 2) there had been no attacks by Russian-led forces on Ukrainian positions.

Ukraine and Russian-led forces on Dec. 27, 2018 agreed on a cease-fire that was to come into force at midnight on Dec. 30. However, Ukraine’s military reported that Russian-led forces violated the cease-fire almost immediately.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has a monitoring mission in Ukraine, has noted an overall decrease in the number of cease-fire violations in its recent reports, but not a full cease-fire.