Ukraine soldiers killed in Donetsk
Ukraine's government has confirmed a deadly attack on troops in the eastern region of Donetsk, with reports saying at least 11 soldiers died.
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Heavily armed "terrorists" attacked a checkpoint in the Volnovakha area, killing or wounding a number of soldiers, the defence ministry said.
Associated Press journalists counted 11 bodies at the scene while a Russian website said 15 soldiers had died.
Separatists have been skirmishing with security forces in Donetsk for weeks.
Both the defence ministry and Ukrainian military journalist Dmytro Tymchu blamed the attack on "terrorists" - the term commonly used by Ukrainian officials for armed pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and the neighbouring Luhansk region.
The Russian source, pro-Kremlin news website Lifenews, quoted an unnamed police source as saying 15 had been killed and 35 wounded.
Ukrainians go to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president but voting in Donetsk and Luhansk has been seriously disrupted by the insurgency there.
The election was called after the last elected President, Viktor Yanukovych, was deposed in February amid mass protests against his pro-Russian policies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops near Ukraine's border to withdraw to their bases earlier this week.
Correspondents said removing the troops - estimated to number 40,000 - could help de-escalate the Ukraine crisis.
Credit: BBC