Ukraine says two of its soldiers have been killed and one wounded as a result of clashes with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry said on October 17 that separatist fighters violated a cease-fire 19 times during the previous 24 hours by firing machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars.

It said Ukrainian government forces killed three separatist fighters and wounded two.

The separatists said Ukrainian government forces violated the cease-fire 27 times, using the same type of weapons.

Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions with strong support from Moscow.

Fighting persists despite cease-fire deals reached as part of the September 2014 and February 2015 Minsk accords, and implementation of other measures set out in the deals has been slow.

With reporting by Interfax and TASS