Ukraine says rebels used long-range artillery on villages, one soldier dead

Ukraine's voluntary militia called the Azov Battalion holds artillery training in east Ukraine's village of Urzuf that sits west of the port city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea, in this file photo taken on March 19, 2015. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

KIEV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian military on Tuesday accused Russian-backed rebels of conducting long-range artillery attacks on villages in the east and said one of its serviceman was killed and 12 wounded in clashes in the past 24 hours.

Kiev's military spokesman Andriy Lysenko did not say where the casualties had occurred, but said that sporadic fighting continued near the rebel-controlled airport complex in Donetsk despite a ceasefire declared last February.