KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian military says two soldiers have been killed and another wounded under fire from Russia-backed separatist rebels in the country’s east, where hostilities have increased sharply in recent months. According to Ukraine’s military, 36 soldiers have been killed in the east this year. Efforts have stalled to end the conflict between Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces, which has killed more than 14,000 people since it broke out in 2014. Russia, which claims it has no military presence in eastern Ukraine, fueled the tensions this year by massing troops and conducting large-scale military exercises near its border with Ukraine. The Russian troop buildup has raised alarms in the West.
