Nine more Ukrainian servicemen killed in the east

A Ukrainian serviceman is pictured at his position near Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine, February 8, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

KIEV/DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Nine Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions in the past 24 hours, a Kiev military spokesman said on Monday.

The spokesman, Vyacheslav Seleznyov, said government forces had come under attack from the rebels on about 100 separate occasions.