At least three government soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded during attacks by independence-seeking insurgents in Ukraine's eastern regions over the past day, the military said Monday.

"The rebels sustain efforts to expand territories under their control," Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council, told a media briefing.

He accused the rebels of intensifying attacks and deploying seven drones to monitor government troops' military positions.

Fierce battles took place in over a dozen towns and villages in Donetsk and Lugansk regions over the last 24 hours, Lysenko said.

During a shelling in the government-controlled Stanytsya Luganskaya town, a civilian was wounded, Gennady Moskal, head of Lugansk Regional Administration, wrote in a statement on his website.

The rebels have not commented on their casualties over the past day.

Heavy fighting has been raging in Ukraine's restive eastern regions since mid-April, when government troops launched offensives to regain control over rebel-held cities and towns.

The conflict has left more than 4,300 combatants and civilians dead and almost 10,000 others wounded.

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