Eight Ukrainian soldiers killed; truck hits mine

DONETSK, Ukraine: At least eight Ukrainian servicemen died on Monday when their truck hit a mine planted by pro-Russian insurgents in the war-torn country’s separatist east, a Kiev military spokesman said.
“The roads in this area are mined by the enemy,” military spokesman Yevgen Silkin said by telephone, adding that the incident occurred about 20 km (12 miles) west of the militants’ de facto capital Donetsk. Rebel officials issued no immediate comment. Silkin said the incident occurred outside the 16,000-strong town of Krasnogorivka, next to another town called Marinka where heavy fighting claimed more than 20 lives last week.
Road blasts like the one reported on Monday have occurred throughout the 14-month conflict. Civilian vehicles have also been hit by stray shells and artillery fire on several occasions. More than a dozen civilians were killed in January when their bus was sprayed by shrapnel from a missile that Kiev said was launched by rebel forces.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held up a piece of the shattered bus during an emotional speech at the Davos Economic Forum a few days later to highlight the growing civilian toll of the war.
The United Nations estimates the conflict has killed at least 6,400 people and driven more than a million from their homes.

Fuel depot blaze
Emergency services struggled to prevent the spread of a deadly fuel depot fire outside Kiev on Tuesday and three firemen were reported missing after the blaze triggered a powerful explosion.
The fire burned overnight and by morning had spread to at least 16 tanks, most of them storing petrol. That sent a huge pall of black smoke over the area surrounding the depot near Vasylkiv, 30 km (19 miles) from Kiev.
“At the depot, entire fuel tanks have been destroyed. Nearby, 100 meters (330 ft) away, there’s another fuel depot and the main thing is to prevent the fire reaching it,” emergency services chief Valeriy Borysov said in a televised briefing.
Three firemen were unaccounted for after an explosion ripped through the area as they battled the fire.
At least 11 people were injured in the fire and one later died in hospital, local media reported. Some 62 fire-fighting units and three trains delivering water and supplies have been mobilized, emergency services said.