According to the DPR Militia, a Ukrainian UAV planted explosives near a public transportation station on Friday. The device failed to detonate, and soldiers were dispatched to disable it. However, while the operation was in progress, a blast occurred, killing one soldier and injuring another.

"One soldier was killed instantly, and the other defender of our republic who was injured by the blast, unfortunately, died in a hospital this morning," the official stated. "We are extending condolences to the families and relatives of the killed heroes."

This incident comes as Russia's top military general warned neighboring Ukraine on Thursday against using force to restore control of separatist areas, warning that Moscow will "suppress" any such action.

The announcement by Gen. Valery Gerasimov, commander of the Russian military's General Staff, comes amid rising tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border, fueled Ukrainian and Western concerns of an invasion.

The Ukrainian government has been waging a military campaign against the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk since April 2014. Prospects for peace have been explored in various forums, including the Contact Group in Minsk, which has adopted three resolutions to the conflict since September 2014. Nonetheless, warfare persists in the region.