(ANSA-AFP) - KIEV, APR 8 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was travelling to the country's eastern frontline on Thursday, after a surge in clashes with separatist forces and a spike in tensions with Moscow. Fighting between the Ukrainian army and separatists has intensified in recent weeks, raising fears of a major escalation in the long-running conflict over the mainly Russian-speaking Donbas region. The Ukrainian military on Thursday announced that another of its soldiers had been killed, bringing to 25 the number of troops killed since the start of the year, compared with 50 in all of 2020.

Zelensky, who has appealed to Ukraine's Western allies for support, was due to visit positions where a ceasefire "has been systematically violated in recent days" and Ukrainian soldiers killed or wounded, the presidency said in a statement.

(ANSA-AFP).