KIEV, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Ten Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 30 wounded in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Kiev's security and defence council said on Friday.
Fighting between government forces and rebels has intensified since separatist advances opened a new front in the conflict this week just as Ukraine's army appeared to have gained the upper hand by virtually encircling the separatists in their main strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
A senior United Nations human rights official said on Friday that a total of 2,593 people have died in fighting in eastern Ukraine since mid-April. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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