Kiev (AFP) - Three soldiers were killed and eight injured in the past 24 hours, a Ukraine military spokesman said on Thursday, marking the first casualties since a ceasefire was introduced earlier this week.

"We lost three soldiers and another eight were wounded in the past 24 hours," said spokesman Andriy Lysenko, adding there had been 22 breaches of the truce during that period.

"Terrorists are violating agreements and continuing to fire on positions of the Ukrainian military and civilians. Tanks and artillery were used, but our forces did not respond."

Previous reports had suggested the truce that went into effect on Tuesday between government and rebel forces in eastern Ukraine had been largely holding.

In the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk, "the night passed without large bombardments", the city authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

An AFP journalist in Donetsk said there had been several artillery salvos in the morning near the city's airport, site of major clashes in recent months.

In the nearby village of Tonenke, a Ukrainian military unit said the situation was calm.

"Everything is calm, no one is firing. There have not been any bombardments either in the night or morning," one soldier, Mikhail, told AFP by phone.

The town of Schastie in neighbouring Lugansk province -- often targeted by rebels trying to seize control of an electricity hub -- was also peaceful.

"In our area, there has been total silence in the night and the morning," said local official Volodomir Tyurin.

The ceasefire was introduced on Tuesday -- dubbed a "day of silence" by the government -- in the hope of ending an eight-month conflict that has claimed at least 4,300 lives and displaced close to a million people, according to United Nations figures.

The two sides -- along with Russian and European monitors -- are still trying to organise comprehensive peace talks.

The Ukraine government had initially hoped to hold talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk on Tuesday, but they have been delayed by the rebels.