Here is today's map of the military situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
Kyiv says three soldiers killed:
The Ukrainian military says three of its soldiers have been killed and 14 wounded in fighting in the country’s east.
Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on June 18 that the casualties occurred during the previous 24 hours.
"Clashes aren't getting any less frequent and in certain parts they are turning into full-scale military operations," he added.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and rebels has killed more than 6,400 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.
In recent weeks, the sides have accused each other of increasing attacks despite a cease-fire agreement signed in Minsk in February. (Reuters, Interfax)
UN Says Russia Led World In 2014 Asylum Claims Due To Ukraine War
By RFE/RL
A United Nations report says Russia was the world’s largest single recipient of asylum requests during 2014 as a result of the war in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists.
The report by the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, says a total of 271,200 Ukrainians lodged applications for refugee status or temporary asylum in Russia since the outbreak of the conflict in eastern Ukraine -- about 99 percent of the asylum claims in Russia during 2014.
By comparison, the UNHCR reported data from the Ukrainian State Emergency Service that says 823,000 people became internally displaced within Ukraine by the end of 2014 as a result of the conflict in the east.
About 19,000 Ukrainians also filed asylum requests in 67 other countries.
The most were in Germany with 2,700 claims, followed by Poland and Italy with 2,100, and France with 1,400.