(VOVworld) - Ukraine’s military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, says two soldiers have been killed and twenty others injured in the latest gun battles with pro-Russia forces in the country’s eastern regions of Lugansk over the past day, bringing the number of soldiers killed since Thursday to six.

Ukraine and the pro-Russia forces had agreed to stop fighting across the eastern conflict zone from December 9, under the terms of a ceasefire brokered by Moscow. However, the truce agreement has been frequently violated. Clashes between Ukraine government forces and pro-Russia forces took place right before a meeting of the so-called Normandy format group which will take place in Astana city of Kazakhstan next week, where representatives of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany will seek solutions to end the 8-moth long crisis in Ukraine.