Pro-Russian separatists have fired on Ukrainian positions 23 times since midnight near in the Donbas region, mostly around Avdiivka, the Press Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine on April 7th.

Exchanges of fire were also reported near Nevelsky, Trehizbenka, and the Butovka mine.

The Press Center confirmed that Ukrainian soldiers returned fire.

“Our experiences the past few days have shown that [to open fire] is the only way to stop the provocation of …

The Russian Federation is ready to exchange Ukrainian serviceman and People's Deputy of Ukraine, Nadiya Savchenko, if Ukraine recognizes the sentence of the Russian court, according to Savchenko`s mother, Maria Savchenko, as indicated in an interview with the Associated Press.

"They [the Ukrainian government] want to do an exchange. But Russia has two conditions: to recognize the validity of the sentence by the Russian court and to exchange her for others [Russian prisoners in Ukraine]," Maria  …

The conflict that has been ongoing in eastern Ukraine for two years has led to the near-starvation of 1.5 million citizens. This was a major reporting point in the UN’s World Food Program on April 4th. According to its experts, approximately 300 thousand people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

“Two years of violence, shelling and living in fear have left an indelible mark in the lives of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine. We called on all parties to the conflict to ensure …