DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — Separatist rebels in east Ukraine say they have retaken a village near the Russian border from government forces as they attempt to regain territory.
Sergei Kavtaradze, a spokesman for a separatist group that calls itself the Donetsk People’s Republic, said one rebel militiaman was killed and another 15 injured in fighting in the village of Marinivka.
Since the start of the month, Ukrainian forces have halved the territory held by the insurgency, which is seeking to wrest two eastern regions from Kiev.
The insurgency’s military leader, Igor Girkin, told Russian television station LifeNews that his men destroyed two armored vehicles and captured another.
Government efforts have focused in part on sealing the border with Russia, where insurgents are believed to draw much of their hardware and manpower.
