Ukraine accuses Russia of cross-border shelling

 Ukraine on Friday accused Russia of carrying out a cross-border shelling against Ukrainian positions in the eastern part of the country.
"Over the past day, for the first time since the signing of the Minsk agreements, we recorded a resumption of shelling of Ukrainian territory from the territory of the Russian Federation," Andrei Lysenko, a spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council, told a media briefing.
He said the cross-border shells were fired from Manotsky, a village in Russia's Rostov region, against Kamyshnoe, a village in Ukraine's Lugansk region, which lies near the crossing checkpoint on the joint frontier between the two neighboring countries.
Besides, Lysenko again accused Russia of aiding independence-seeking insurgents with weapons and sending troops to combat areas of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The accusations came as fierce fighting resumed in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, after the ceasefire agreement signed by the Ukrainian government and insurgent leadership in September practically collapsed.
Over the past 24 hours, one government soldier was killed and 18 others wounded in confrontation with rebels, according to the press service of the Ukrainian military operation.
In addition, two civilians were killed in eastern Ukraine in the past day, the press service said in a statement on its official Facebook page, without giving details.
Meanwhile, Gennady Moskal, head of the Lugansk Regional Administration, wrote on his website that seven civilians, aged between 17 and 51, were wounded during a bombardment in the residential area of Shchastie town in the region.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine has been raging since mid-April, with Kiev consistently accusing Russia of aiding the rebels, a charge which Moscow firmly denies.
The violence has escalated earlier this month, after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked the parliament to repeal the law that grants "special status" to Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
Following the move, the insurgents said they would not observe the Minsk peace protocol and demanded new ceasefire talks with Ukrainian authorities.
Also on Friday, a memorial service was held in Kiev to commemorate those who lost their lives in the violent upheaval that started a year ago.