Ukraine clashes between pro-Russian forces and government troops leave 10 dead in Donald Trump’s first major test of his stance against Putin
Shelling has dramatically intensified in the worst violence the area has seen in months
AT least 10 people have been killed after an outburst of fighting between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-backed rebels as tensions in the region surged.
Dozens have been injured as Ukraine faces its worst violence "in a long time", leading to the threat of a full-blown humanitarian crisis with 20,000 people without water and heating in freezing temperatures.
The violent clashes are an early test of President Donald Trump's stance against Russia after he and president Vladimir Putin spoke of stabilising relations between the US and Russia.
The US leader hinted just two weeks ago that he will consider lifting sanctions on Russia if Moscow helps him in the fight against terrorism.
The clashes in Ukraine this week are some of the worst since a ceasefire was agreed two years ago, with mortar and rockets being exchanged in Avdiivka, just north of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump had been "kept aware of developments" in Ukraine and will "have further updates as we go on".
Since fighting erupted on Sunday, both sides have accused the other of using Grad systems - imprecise weapons that rain down multiple rockets over a wide are - which they had agreed not to use in the 2015 ceasefire deal.
On Tuesday, the State Department omitted any mention of Russia in a six-sentence statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and full implementation of the agreements meant to outline a political resolution to the crisis.
A statement said Trump's UN ambassador Nikki Haley had met with her Ukrainian counterpart "to reaffirm the United States' support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".
The Ukrainian military said three of its soldiers were killed overnight, while rebels claimed as many civilians had been killed, reports AP.
The two sides have also traded accusation over whether a Ukrainian aircraft came under fire from a Russian-operated gas rig in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian presidential spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko posted a picture on Facebook of a plan with a hole in it, claming it was fired at while flying near two offshore gas rigs.
But Russia's Black Sea navy fleet said the plane made two "provocatively" low runs over the Russian rigs, and a security officer fired a flare gun - posing no danger - to drive it away and prevent a crash.
The incident reflects the high tensions between the countries after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula three years ago.
The rigs, which previously belonged to Ukraine, have caused tensions for a long time with Russia accused of illegally seizing them and Ukraine saying it would demand compensation.
What sparked the recent escalation is unclear, but Ukraine's military acknowledged its troops have gained some ground around Avdiivka.
Deputy Defense Minister Ihor Pavlovsky told reporters in Kiev today: "Step by step, metre by metre, our boys have heroically moved forward.
"The entire Donbass is our territory," he added, referring to the rebel-controlled areas."
The Ukrainian government, concerned Trump's administration might take a comparatively soft line on Russia, could point to the escalation as evidence that Russia cannot be trusted.
Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said: "Kiev is trying to use the fighting it provoked itself as a pretext to refuse to observe the Minsk agreement and blame Russia."
The fighting could send a signal to Washington that Moscow holds power in the region and the US should offer concessions if it wants peace in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the escalation "seems to be another reason for the soonest possible resumption of dialogue and cooperation between Russia and America".
In Donetsk, local residents reported incessant outgoing and incoming artillery salvos heard throughout the night and in the morning, an intensity that the city has not seen in months.
An Associated Press reporter outside Avdiivka saw a Grad rocket launcher with empty rounds drive away from the front line Wednesday.
Grad is among the heavy weaponry that both warring parties committed to pull back when they signed the 2015 cease-fire agreement.
On another side, an Associated Press reporter saw rebel artillery positions in the centre of Donetsk on Wednesday.
The artillery barrage subsided during the day amid unconfirmed reports that the sides had agreed to a cease-fire to restore electricity and water supplies, but resumed later in the evening.
The Ukrainian government's press office for the military operation in the east reported one soldier killed, and nine soldiers and one civilian injured on Tuesday.
In Makiivka, the rebel-controlled northeastern suburb of Donetsk, two coal miners were injured Wednesday morning by shelling as they walked to work, the rebels' Donetsk News Agency reported.
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