Merkel concerned about surge in hostilities in Donbas

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her concern over the surge in hostilities in Ukraine's east and the new losses among Ukrainian servicemen.

"We have learned that there is no ceasefire [in the anti-terrorist operation zone] and that soldiers are dying and the situation is the cause for concern," she said at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin on Monday.

Poroshenko said, for his part, that the Russian side did not react to any addresses from Ukraine and from the OSCE regarding the artillery shellings of Ukrainian servicemen in Donbas.

Five Ukrainian troops were killed and 12 injured in Donbas on January 29 and two servicemen were killed and another five injured in the early hours of January 30, he said.

"They were either injured or killed due to fire from artillery, artillery systems that were installed by Russian militants in residential areas of Donetsk and Yasynuvata in order to prevent Ukrainian soldiers from opening fire in return," he said.

"We immediately applied to the OSCE, immediately reported [it]. I emphasize it: the Russian side declined to react to both the inquiries of our side and enquiries from the OSCE," Poroshenko said.