From our news desk:
Protesters have gathered in central Kyiv to demand an end to a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, where security forces are battling pro-Russian separatists.
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service says several thousand people gathered outside the presidential administration building. Some of the protesters were wearing camouflage uniforms and balaclavas.
The protesters also demanded that President Petro Poroshenko declare martial law in eastern Ukraine, give sufficient weapons to volunteer battalions to fight the "terrorists" and social guarantees for servicemen involved in the army's military operation in the east.
They also called on the president to demand tougher EU sanctions against Russia for supporting the separatists.
On June 27, Poroshenko extended by 72 hours a weeklong cease-fire in eastern Ukraine. The shaky cease-fire is now set to expire on June 30.
From our news desk:
European Union leaders have held talks with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine as a truce between Ukrainian government forces and separatists neared its end.
The French presidency said the June 29 telephone conference between President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine lasted “more than two hours.”
It said the leaders discussed "the importance of making new concrete advances in the security situation on the ground, prolonging the cease-fire, and putting in place the peace plan" presented by Ukraine.
The Kremlin said the four leaders called on Poroshenko to extend the truce in the country's east beyond June 30.
The conversation comes after reports of renewed clashes in eastern Ukraine.
In Kyiv, several thousand demonstrators demanded an end to the cease-fire. (AFP, ITAR-TASS, and Interfax)
Good morning. We're starting up the live blog for another day.
And more from our news desk on the death of a Russian cameraman in eastern Ukraine.
A cameraman for Russia's state-owned Channel One television channel has been killed in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Anatoly Klyan, 68, was shot in the stomach after his film crew came under fire when they went to film near a pro-Kyiv military unit in the region.
Klyan is the third Russian journalist to die in the conflict.
On June 17, a Russian correspondent and a sound engineer for state television were killed by mortar fire in clashes near Luhansk.
Sporadic violence has continued in eastern Ukraine despite a cease-fire declared by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on June 20 to allow for peace talks with the rebels.
The cease-fire is due to expire later on June 30.
More from The Moscow Times on the death of the Russian journalist, Anatoly Klyan, in Ukraine.
There have been plenty of stories about Ukrainians buying their beleagured army equipment. Now they're crowdfunding to buy them a drone. From " The Guardian":
The organisers had originally hoped to buy a state-of-the-art Israeli drone – for $165,000 (£97,000) – or a cheaper American one costing $120,000. In the end, however, they managed to build the drone for just $35,000. A designer and other volunteers built the airframe, with a Ukrainian military institute chipping in technical equipment. The hope is that with enough drones the army will be able to stop the infiltration of men and material from neighbouringRussia. Kiev says there is overwhelming evidence that the Kremlin has supplied heavy weapons and even old tanks to the rebels. Moscow denies this.