Since the beginning of the announcement of the Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) in the east of Ukraine on April 14, 2014, more than 2,600 military personnel have been killed, the Defense Ministry spokesman for ATO issues Andriy Lysenko has said.

"Over three years in the battles for freedom, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, 2,652 servicemen and personnel of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Security Service, the Interior Ministry, the State Border Guard Service have been killed. Some 9,578 have been injured," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.