Fighting outside key Ukrainian city kills 9 troops

A Ukrainian official said nine troops were killed in overnight fighting in the streets of the town of Ilovaysk, which lies just east of the rebel stronghold Donetsk.  Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning that government troops now control half of the town, but rebels are offering fierce resistance after more than a day of fighting.  Government efforts to quell the pro-Russia insurgency.