Putin says Ukraine escalated conflict to bolster US support

‘Salvos of artillery shook a sector of eastern Ukraine on Thursday, the fifth day of escalated fighting between government troops and Russia-backed separatist rebels. Two Ukrainian troops were killed overnight and 10 others wounded, the government said; rebels said one of their fighters was killed.
Reporters for The Associated Press heard Grad rocket launchers fired on both sides of the conflict during the night. In the afternoon, shelling was heard in the distance from Avdiivka, a government-held town just north of Donetsk, the largest rebel-controlled city.
In Donetsk, rebel authorities said two civilians were injured in shelling. At least 12 people have been reported killed since the fighting around Avdiivka surged over the weekend.’

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