More than 9,000 people have been killed since a Moscow-backed insurgency

Five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and another four wounded in fresh clashes with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, the second biggest casualty toll in a single day this year, the military said on Sunday.

"Unfortunately, over the past 24 hours, five Ukrainian soldiers have died and four more have been wounded," military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told reporters.

Source: AFP