Fifteen Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 30 others injured in the area of the military operation in southeastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has said.

"Fifteen servicemen have died. This concerns the entire contact line, from Luhansk region to Mariupol," Poltorak said at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday.

Thirty other servicemen have sustained injuries of various degrees, he said.

Combat activities are continuing near Debaltseve, Donetsk region, Poltorak said, admitting that this town is "partially controlled" by militants.