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Story highlights 12 people killed in shelling, says official with pro-separatist City Council CNN team sees seven bodies; some die near a food aid handout spot

CNN could not confirm 12 deaths, but its team in Donetsk saw seven bodies after a series of shell blasts near the center of the city.

Five bodies, concealed under sheets, could be seen at a spot by the Hotel Europe, where a local billionaire has organized food aid handouts by his staff. One man had died at the wheel of his car. A shell apparently hit near where dozens of people were waiting in line for much needed supplies.

Elsewhere, two more bodies could be seen where a trolley bus was hit.

Until now the fighting has largely been concentrated on the outskirts of the city, near the airport.

But Friday, the blasts moved significantly closer to the city center, where there are no obvious military targets.

It's not clear who is responsible for the shelling. In previous instances, each side has blamed the other.

What is clear is the mounting civilian death toll, with the ordinary residents of Donetsk being caught up in the fighting.

Last Saturday, at least 30 civilians were killed in shelling in the southeastern city of Mariupol, while eight people died when a transit stop in Donetsk was shelled two days earlier.

There has been fierce fighting around the town of Debaltseve, northeast of Donetsk, where separatist forces have almost surrounded Ukrainian troops.

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Bodies in streets as shelling rocks Ukraine city of ...

Story highlights Saturday's talks in Minsk went for two hours but yielded no signatures, diplomat says Ukrainian military says fighting continues near Debaltseve

The talks in Belarus' capital, Minsk, ended "with no signature" on any proposals "after a couple of hours (of) discussions" relating to the bitter conflict that has killed thousands of people in eastern Ukraine, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

Discussions were unlikely to resume on Sunday, according to the diplomat.

"Differences were very wide and the atmosphere was described as not fruitful to agreement or cooperation," the diplomat said.

At the meeting were representatives of the Ukrainian government, Russian government and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego, according to Ukraine's national news agency, Ukrinform.

The talks, which came on a week when fighting escalated in eastern Ukraine, had been expected to start Friday but were delayed.

A previous ceasefire agreement negotiated in Minsk in September crumbled long ago.

In the past 24 hours, 15 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 33 were wounded, Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council said in its daily update on the situation.

The town of Vuglegirsk is the focus of the fiercest fighting on Saturday, the NDSC said, adding that separatist forces are trying to seize it so they can attack the town of Debaltseve afterward.

Debaltseve, northeast of Donetsk city, has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent days as separatist forces seek to surround Ukrainian troops.

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Ukraine talks start amid fighting

Ukraines nine-month conflict plunged further into deadly violence on Saturday, as Russia-backed rebels pressed their offensive to take the Ukrainian-held city of Debaltseve and officials scrambled to stop the bloodshed with a new round of cease-fire talks.

A shaky peace agreement brokered in September largely stopped the exchange of territory on the battlefield in east Ukraine and dialed down the scale of fighting. But the pact faltered almost immediately and failed to stem the violence in full.

Now the clock has turned back entirely on Ukraines battle with Russia-backed separatists, bringing a return of full-scale warfare. Pitched battles for towns, the likes of which east Ukraine hasnt seen since last summer, have sent locals scrambling in the dead of winter for safety and a way out. At least 60 civilians have been killed amid the renewed violence since last weekend.

As the rebels press their latest offensive, the losses for Kiev are beginning to mount. The Ukrainian military lost 15 servicemen in the past 24 hours, officials said Saturday, marking one of the worst one-day death tolls for the countrys armed forces since the cease-fire was signed. The rebels havent provided regular data on their losses.

Representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the two self-declared separatist republics of Luhansk and Donetsk began to meet Saturday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, looking to hammer out a renewed cease-fire agreement.

But as the talks got under way Saturday, the battlefield exploded with violence in and around Debaltseve, a critical transport hub between the rebel-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk that the separatists have been trying to wrest from Ukrainian forces.

As explosion after explosion rocked the Ukrainian-held city, residents tried to board minivans, buses and even strangers cars in an attempt to speed away to safety. Ukrainian authorities say they are evacuating residents, but so far resources have been limited, and thousands of people remain at home in Debaltseve and other towns being pounded daily by rockets.

On Saturday, there were signs the area of fighting was expanding. The sound of impacts from multiple rocket launchers rattled windows, shook buildings and set off car alarms in the city of Artemivsk, a Ukrainian-held stronghold 30 miles north that until recently had been relatively quiet for months.

An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com

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The Wall Street Journal: Ukraine violence escalates as officials seek truce agreement

BBC News-Ukraine conflict: EU to debate fresh Russia sanctions
Ukraine conflict: EU to debate fresh Russia sanctions EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels to discuss imposing further sanctions on Russia following an upsurge in fighting in east...

By: news collection today

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BBC News-Ukraine conflict: EU to debate fresh Russia sanctions - Video

Ukraine #39;s Naftogaz to Sue Russia #39;s Gazprom: USD 6.2 billion demanded for transit reduction
Ukraine #39;s state gas and oil company Naftogaz has turned to the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce to demand USD 6.2 billion from Russia #39;s Gazprom as compensation...

By: UKRAINE TODAY

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Ukraine's Naftogaz to Sue Russia's Gazprom: USD 6.2 billion demanded for transit reduction - Video