Escalation in Ukraine

At least four civilians were killed and 15 wounded during an artillery shelling at a checkpoint between rebel- and government-controlled areas in the town of Olenivka in rebel-held eastern Ukraine on April 27. The Ukrainian military denied responsibility for the attack.

On May 30, near Donetsk, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed by pro-Russian rebels, four in an ambush and another when his vehicle hit a mine. During the ambush, two rebels were also killed.

The civil war between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk has been ongoing since April 2014. A cease-fire agreement signed in February has not dissuaded the two sides from exchanging fire.