One Ukrainian serviceman killed, ten wounded in past 24 hours - Ukraine military

KIEV (Reuters) - One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and ten others have been wounded as a result of fighting in separatist eastern territories in the past 24 hours, Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a briefing on Saturday.

Earlier the Ukrainian military said pro-Russian rebels had fired artillery repeatedly at government troop positions overnight with areas north-west of separatist-controlled Donetsk among the worst hit.

Both sides accuse the other of using heavy weapons banned under a four-month-old ceasefire deal, which came under fresh strain last week with some of the worst fighting in months.

The separatists said Ukrainian forces had bombarded Donetsk overnight with artillery.

"The sound of heavy weapon fire could be heard in practically all districts," separatist press agency DAN reported the rebel-controlled city administration as saying.

On Friday, a senior monitor for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the security situation in eastern Ukraine had deteriorated in recent days and accused both sides of putting civilians at risk by positioning military forces alongside civilian areas.

(Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Ralph Boulton)