Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 27 wounded in fresh clashes Thursday between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in the east, as the European Union announced more sanctions against separatist leaders, dpa reported. The leader of the self-proclaimed "Luhansk People's Republic," Valery Bolotov, claimed that some 50 Ukrainian troops were killed in the fighting over Luhansk airport, which is controlled by government forces. The figure was not immediately confirmed by Ukrainian sources. President Petro Poroshenko said the size of the conflict zone had been halved following the takeover of the separatist strongholds of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and a number of other cities. The military moved into much of the north of the Donetsk region after separatist militias withdrew without a fight. Poroshenko said late Wednesday that there will be no talks with the separatists unless they disarm and release prisoners.
