KIEV, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 2,608 government troops were killed in the almost three-year conflict with independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday.
Among those killed, there were 2,200 soldiers of the Ukrainian army and 408 servicemen of other security and military forces, Poroshenko said during the operational meeting of the administrative board of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, currently, some 37,000 government troops are involved in the confrontation with rebels in eastern regions.
Overall, more than 280,000 Ukrainian soldiers and law enforcement officers have participated in the conflict, which rages in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.
The confrontation has claimed some 10,000 lives of civilians and combatants from both sides. More than 22,000 of other people were injured in the hostilities and the conflict-related incidents.
