18:33
2.6.2014
The debate continues as to the source of the blast that hit the Luhansk regional administration building.
18:36
2.6.2014
Fourteen hours into continued fighting at the Luhansk border-guards facility, eight border guards have been reported wounded, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports.
18:46
2.6.2014
18:51
2.6.2014
From our newsroom:
An explosion at the regional administration building in Ukraine's eastern city of Luhansk has reportedly caused casualties, but it remains unclear what caused the blast.
The pro-Russia separatists who seized the building several weeks ago claimed an air strike hit their headquarters on June 2, killing at least five people and injuring 10.
A local health official said at least two people had been killed.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said the blast was most likely caused by careless handling of explosives.
A witness was quoted as saying the explosion was probably caused by a missile fired from another separatist-occupied building.
There has been fighting in Luhansk since the early hours of June 2, when in a separate incident separatists tried to storm the local headquarters of the Ukrainian border guards.
Based on reporting by dpa, UNIAN, and pravda.com.ua
The pro-Russia separatists who seized the building several weeks ago claimed an air strike hit their headquarters on June 2, killing at least five people and injuring 10.
A local health official said at least two people had been killed.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said the blast was most likely caused by careless handling of explosives.
A witness was quoted as saying the explosion was probably caused by a missile fired from another separatist-occupied building.
There has been fighting in Luhansk since the early hours of June 2, when in a separate incident separatists tried to storm the local headquarters of the Ukrainian border guards.
Based on reporting by dpa, UNIAN, and pravda.com.ua
19:21
2.6.2014
Russia's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement accusing the government in Kyiv of committing "another crime against its own people" in connection with the blast at a regional-administration building in Luhansk.
There has been no confirmation of the source of the blast, which caused a still-unspecified number of casualties, with each side blaming the other (see posts below).
"Everything that has happened testifies to the clear unwillingness of Kyiv authorities to seek interethnic harmony in the country," the Russian statement says.
It also urges "our Western partners to use all their influence in Kyiv" to help Ukraine avert "a mounting national catastrophe."
19:30
2.6.2014
This Ukrainian Border Guard Service interactive map looks deceptively calm on that eastern border.
19:37
2.6.2014
This Anna report from the scene of the explosion sure makes the affected area of the Luhansk building appear small (warning: graphic language).
19:47
2.6.2014
ITAR-TASS has flashed that "Russia and Ukraine agree not to take gas row to arbitration."
The agency added:
The agency added:
Ukraine should pay gas debt for November-December 2013 at $385 per 1,000 cu m - Gazprom CEO Miller.
19:49
2.6.2014
Via Reuters, AFP, and UNIAN:
Here's our updated interactive map of the hot spots of the past two weeks:
Russia called an emergency UN Security Council meeting for tonight to introduce a resolution calling for an immediate end to fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Russia's UN Mission said the draft resolution would also call for creating humanitarian corridors to allow Ukrainians to escape areas affected by the fighting.
Russia's UN Mission said the draft resolution would also call for creating humanitarian corridors to allow Ukrainians to escape areas affected by the fighting.
Here's our updated interactive map of the hot spots of the past two weeks:
19:57
2.6.2014
Another Ukraine Unspun that's worth a read, "LifeNews Blames Right Sector, Conscripts For Luhansk Border Fighting." Here's an excerpt:
For more of Glenn Kates' and others' unraveling of information coming from Russian and Ukrainian media, politicians, and activists, go to our #UkraineUnspun page.
[H]ere's how LifeNews -- an Internet video service said to have ties to Russia's security services and criticized as a Kremlin mouthpiece -- frames the battle:
"The [Ukrainian] National Guard has opened fire on a southern region of a city in Luhansk," says an anchor for the news portal. "They are using not just small arms but also artillery."
She then brings in Aleksei Repin, a correspondent who is reporting from an apartment block apparently located near the fighting.
"When did the [Ukrainian] special forces begin their attack and what's happening now?" the anchor asks.
Amid the sound of gunfire, Repin explains: "Two-hundred meters from here is the military garrison of the Ukrainian border guards. There are 200 fighters -- including contractors, conscripts, and national guardsmen. We also have information that Right Sector is there as well."
Right Sector, an ultranationalist Ukrainian group, has become the go-to bogeyman for Russian authorities, who have accused Ukraine of promoting "fascism."
Claims of the group's omnipresence have become more difficult since its presidential candidate, Dmytro Yarosh, received just 1 percent of the voteon May 25.
"The [Ukrainian] National Guard has opened fire on a southern region of a city in Luhansk," says an anchor for the news portal. "They are using not just small arms but also artillery."
She then brings in Aleksei Repin, a correspondent who is reporting from an apartment block apparently located near the fighting.
"When did the [Ukrainian] special forces begin their attack and what's happening now?" the anchor asks.
Amid the sound of gunfire, Repin explains: "Two-hundred meters from here is the military garrison of the Ukrainian border guards. There are 200 fighters -- including contractors, conscripts, and national guardsmen. We also have information that Right Sector is there as well."
Right Sector, an ultranationalist Ukrainian group, has become the go-to bogeyman for Russian authorities, who have accused Ukraine of promoting "fascism."
Claims of the group's omnipresence have become more difficult since its presidential candidate, Dmytro Yarosh, received just 1 percent of the voteon May 25.
For more of Glenn Kates' and others' unraveling of information coming from Russian and Ukrainian media, politicians, and activists, go to our #UkraineUnspun page.