Two Ukrainian soldiers died and nine were injured Tuesday after pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country hit a military truck with anti-tank missiles near Donetsk, army sources said.

One soldier died on the spot after the incident near the village of Pisky, with the other victim dying from his injuries soon afterwards, army spokesman Oleksandre Motouzianyk said.

He added that eight troops were hurt with one soldier injured in a separate incident in a different zone.

Kiev accuses separatists of having violated a ceasefire on nine occasions, while the separatists accuse Ukraine of bombarding terrain under their control, according to rebel news agency DAN.

The conflict, which erupted in 2014, has left more than 13,000 dead and driven some 1.5 million people from their homes.

Although a 2015 peace deal ramped down the violence, politically an impasse remains with Kiev accusing Moscow of aiding the rebels -- which Russia denies.

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Japan says state visit by China's Xi postponed over virus
Tokyo (AFP) March 5, 2020
A state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping has been postponed as preventing the outbreak of the new coronavirus is "the biggest challenge" facing both countries, Japan's top government spokesman said Thursday. "It is necessary to give first priority to this," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally invited Xi to visit during last year's G20 summit in Osaka. The last state visit by a Chinese president to Japan was in 2008, and Xi's ... read more