Fighting in Ukraine's Donetsk kills 34 local residents, wounds 29August 20, 2014 - 15:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Fighting in Ukraine's Donetsk has killed 34 local residents and wounded 29 others in the past 24 hours, authorities said Wednesday, Aug 20, according to the Associated Press. Several neighborhoods in Donetsk have been hit with artillery fire in the last few days as fighting on the outskirts has intensified. The regional administration quoted the death toll of 34 as of noon Wednesday in a statement on its website. Earlier, a Ukrainian official said nine troops were killed in overnight fighting in a town near Donetsk as the government battled to gain control of a major railroad and highway. It was not immediately clear if those deaths were in addition to the 34 or included in that count. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian National Security Council, said nine soldiers were killed and 22 wounded in fighting in Ilovaysk overnight. Fighting is continuing in Ilovaysk after more than a day of hostilities although government forces have gained overall control over the town, Lysenko said. Ilovaysk lies on a major railroad and a highway that connects the regional capital of Donetsk to the Russian border. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel this weekend in Kiev before meeting next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin in what could be the first meeting between the two leaders since June. Photo: AP Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakh Foreign Minister arrives in Armenia Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu on Monday, March 18 arrived in Armenia for a two-day trip. Aliyev touts “good chances” for normalizing ties with Armenia Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared that there are “good chances” for normalizing relations with Armenia. Top Armenian, Indian defense officials discuss cooperation The discussions primarily focused on enhancing cooperation in the defence sector between Armenia and India. IDBank unveils three sad stories about fraudsters IDBank has unveiled three scenarios of card fraud that have been happening more and more often in Armenia. |