Seven Ukrainian soldiers killed in 24 hours

Seven Ukrainian soldiers killed in 24 hours

DONETSK -- Seven Ukrainian soldiers died in the fighting in eastern Ukraine during the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has announced.

24 others have been injured, the AFP agency said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) accused Ukranian security forces of using residents of the Avdeyevka settlement as "human shields."

The militia had no plans to storm Avdeyevka, spokesperson Eduard Basurin said, and added they were currently conducting an operation to push back Kiev government forces from the city of Debaltsevo.

Basurin said that Ukrainian forces shelled Donetsk residential areas and suburbs some 15 times overnight, TASS reported.

According to him, the worst affected areas were the town of Dokuchayevsk and the city of Donetsk, while Petrovsky and Kuybyshevsky districts suffered the most damage.

Previously, DNR representatives said the fighting in Donetsk was halted and that the front line was now in Gorolovka and Novoorlovka.