Red Cross worker killed in Ukraine

CNN  — 

An International Committee of the Red Cross worker was killed during shelling close to its office in Donetsk, Ukraine, the group said Thursday on Twitter.

Ukrainian government forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine for months. Both sides declared a ceasefire September 5, but some battles have taken place since then, including in Donetsk.

Unrest began with protests in the country’s capital last year after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych, favoring closer ties to Russia, dropped plans to sign a political and economic agreement with the European Union.

After months of protests and days of deadly clashes between demonstrators and security personnel in Kiev, Parliament ousted Yanukovych in February. Weeks later, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula.

In April, violence broke out in two Ukrainian regions that border Russia – Donetsk and Luhansk – as separatist leaders declared independence from the government in Kiev. Since mid-April, the conflict between the pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian military has cost more than 2,500 lives, according to the United Nations.

At least 9 killed when shells hit Ukrainian school and bus