Protesters marched for peace Sunday starting at Kiev's Independence Square to honor those who died after artillery hit their bus near the city of Volnovakha.
The incident occurred Jan. 13 and killed thirteen passengers, according to CNN. Ukraine's president and prime minister attended Sunday's rally, which saw protesters hold signs that said "I am Volnovakha."
"We will remember every Ukrainian hero who gave (life) for the sake of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. "We will not give up a single meter of our land."
Fighting continues in the eastern region of the country, and Ukrainian troops have retaken most of the strategic Donetsk airport after it nearly fell to Russia-backed rebels, The Guardian reported Sunday. Fighting has intensified in the area over the past week, with shelling reported near central Donetsk, an area that was mostly unscathed. Both sides deny that their military advances around the airport violate the September ceasefire agreement.
Three soldiers died and 31 were wounded in the past 24 hours, Ukraine's national defense council speaker Andriy Lysenko said. He added that the Ukrainian forces were responding to an attack from the rebels.
Fighting resumed at the Donetsk airport after a brief ceasefire before the New Year's. The control tower collapsed last week, and many of the runways and terminal were hit by shelling. However, the airport is of great strategic and symbolic importance for both sides.
