Four killed in Ukraine amid news of new ceasefire

At least four people have been killed in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours amid official reports Tuesday that the government and independence-seeking insurgents have agreed on a new ceasefire.

Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four others wounded in 52 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, said Andrei Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council.

The two victims were a 66-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman, who were killed in shelling in Trekhizbenka village in Lugansk region, Xinhua reported citing authorities.

The casualties came after the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said that the Ukrainian government and the rebel leadership in Lugansk region signed a new truce.

Under the deal, the sides agreed to cease hostilities starting from Friday and begin withdrawal of heavy weapons from the frontline Saturday, the OSCE said in a statement.

The self-styled leader of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, Igor Plotnytsky, confirmed in an interview with media that a ceasefire agreement was reached during talks Saturday.

The two sides agreed on a ceasefire in early September but the agreement was never fully implemented. Since then, over 1,000 combatants and civilians have been killed in eastern Ukraine, bringing the overall toll in the eight-month-old conflict to more than 4,300.