Ukraine warned yesterday that its assault on pro-Russian insurgents may last another month and rejected calls for a ceasefire as it moved tanks within striking distance of the rebels' two remaining strongholds.
An AFP team about 20 kilometres south of the eastern hub of Donetsk -- to which most of the militias have retreated -- saw heavy armoured vehicles fan out across the rolling corn and sunflower fields of the economically-vital rustbelt.
A vast column of tanks and military vehicles arrived in the area on Wednesday in an apparent push to surround Donetsk and the neighbouring city of Lugansk -- both capitals of their own "People's Republics".
An earthmover's engine stuttered in the stifling heat as it dug trenches to help troops dodge artillery strikes from thousands of insurgents who are refusing to give up their bloody three-month drive to join Russian rule.
"We arrived here last night," said a balaclava-wearing soldier named Yuriy as his comrades stretched electric cables to a nearby farm to power up their equipment. He remained tight-lipped about his unit's immediate plans but vowed to fulfil "all orders".
The Ukrainian military said three servicemen had been killed and 27 wounded in the previous 24 hours. Two died when their armoured vehicle hit one of the numerous land mines separatists have planted to slow Kiev's relentless advance.
"We can now make a forecast about how long it will take to pull troops back from Donetsk and Lugansk," interior ministry advisor Stanislav Rechinsky told Ukrainian state television.
"Presumably, this can be done within a month," he said.
Rechinsky added "there will be no air or artillery strikes" against either city because of the toll in a low-scale war which has claimed 478 civilians and more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers as well as an undisclosed number of gunmen.
The Ukrainian health ministry said Thursday that another 1,392 civilians had been wounded during Kiev's "anti-terrorist operation" in the east.