3 government soldiers killed in east Ukraine

Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Tuesday that three government servicemen were killed and five wounded in eastern regions over the past day.
Lysenko said the casualties, which were the worst in two weeks, came as independence-seeking insurgents stepped up their offensive on Ukrainian positions despite a truce.
The ceasefire has been violated by the rebels 33 times in the last 24 hours, Lysenko said, accusing the insurgents of using artillery, tanks, grenade launchers, mortars and small arms during their attacks.
The rebel forces, however, said they are sticking to the ceasefire reached last month and blamed the Ukrainian army for attacking their positions 19 times over the past day.
The rebels have not released their casualty figures.
The deal to enforce the truce in eastern regions was signed between the two warring sides on Feb. 12 in Minsk, Belarus, giving hopes for an end to an almost year-old conflict that has killed over 6,000 people.