Ukraine reports intense battles near Mariupol:
Ukraine has reported intense battles with pro-Russian separatists near the government-held coastal city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.
A military spokesman in Kyiv said on August 12 that clashes north of the strategic city of Mariupol had killed one soldier and injured three.
The pro-Russian rebels said a civilian had died in a different part of the area.
A resident in a village located halfway between Donetsk and Mariupol told AFP exchanges of heavy mortar and rocket fire began on August 10 and had not stopped since.
The latest battles are focused on a highway that connects Mariupol with the rebels' de facto capital, Donetsk.
The majority of the road is now under the control of government forces.
The OSCE has reported increased cease-fire violations in areas east and north of Mariupol.
In recent days Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists have traded accusations of attempting to break a cease-fire deal that was agreed in Minsk six months ago.
On August 10, the Ukrainian military reported the heaviest shelling by pro-Russian separatists since the Minsk truce was signed in February.
Mariupol sits along a key route linking parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by the rebels and Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March 2014. (AFP, Reuters)
This ends our live blogging for August 12. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
(yes, we're aware of the issue with Twitter embeds. It seems to be their issue.)
Monitor claims Russian reconnaissance activities in eastern Ukraine:
Russian armed forces are involved in reconnaissance activities on the front line along with local separatists in eastern Ukraine, claims Information Resistance group coordinator Dmytro Tymchuk.
"The enemy is actively pursuing reconnaissance activities (air, land and electronic reconnaissance)," he wrote on Facebook.
Tymchuk added that separatist forces continued to heavily shell Ukrainian positions. Two-thirds of the attacks are coming from Donetsk Oblast. "The enemy continues to actively regroup and redeploy its troops and military equipment," he wrote.
The Ukrainian government's Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) press center also reported the biggest number of shelling by the separatists the previous day.
"On August 12 Russian terrorist forces violated the cease-fire regime 152 times" the press center wrote on Facebook.
-- Anna Shamanska
SBU on Oleksandr Yanukovych's trail:
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claims it has uncovered a scheme through which the son of ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych wired embezzled funds to Russia.
Oleksandr Yanukovych's company allegedly bought equipment fictitiously in Russia for 10 million hryvnyas (almost $500,000). "The equipment was supposed to be imported to the territory, which at the time of the purchase, was already not under Ukrainian governmental control," the Security Service said in a statement.
In order to seize the bank accounts that were part of the scheme, the SBU informed the Prosecutor-General's Office.
Oleksandr Yanukovych left Ukraine in February 2014, following his father's fall from power. He reportedly lives in Russia, but is wanted for embezzlement and abuse of power in Ukraine.
-- Anna Shamanska