At Least 8 Killed In Ukraine Clashes In 24 Hours Despite Ceasefire Deal And EU Warning

At least eight Ukrainian service personnel were killed and 34 others injured in clashes with pro-Russian rebels in the eastern part of the country in the last 24 hours, Kiev military said Friday, according to Reuters. The killings come just a day after ceasefire was agreed upon between Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, starting Saturday midnight.

While rebel leaders in the region said that shelling from the authorities killed three civilians and injured five more in Luhansk, the Ukrainian military claimed eight soldiers were killed, The Telegraph reported.

The killing is the first reported incident since the deal was signed Friday at the Minsk meeting, which was led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. Over 5,000 people have been killed in clashes in Ukraine over the last 10 months.

"In the Donbass (eastern Ukraine), this night was not a calm one. The enemy shelled positions of the 'anti-terrorist operation' forces with the same intensity as before," according to a statement from the military, Reuters reported.

Before the ceasefire deal was signed, the fighting was intense in Debaltseve, a prime railway junction which connects the rebel areas. Military spokesperson Vladyslav Seleznyov said, according to Reuters: "Following military action and shelling ... Ukraine lost eight service personnel and 34 others were wounded."

Meanwhile, the European Union also warned Russia that it would impose new sanctions on the country if it failed to implement the ceasefire agreement. Leaders from the four countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, decided Friday that the separatists in the country would pull out heavy weapons and “foreign armed groups” from the region, conduct disarmament of "illegal groups" and will exchange prisoners. The agreement covers 13 points in total.