(Kiev) A Ukrainian soldier was killed and two were wounded Sunday in an attack by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, the army said in a statement.
Ukrainian forces face a simmering conflict with rebels in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which erupted after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Kiev claimed that separatists unleashed eight grenade and mortar attacks on Ukrainian troops on Sunday.
Ukraine on Tuesday denied reports of a strengthening of the Russian military presence near its eastern border.
In recent days, videos posted on social media have shown Russian military trains and truck convoys carrying tanks and missiles in southwest Russia near Ukrainian territory.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Russia rejects accusations by Ukraine and the West that it supports the separatists.