13:35
6.6.2014
!!! BREAKING NEWS !!!
The office of French President Francois Hollande says U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a brief meeting on the sidelines of D-Day anniversary events in France.
More details to follow...
13:33
6.6.2014
Margrethe II of Denmark buffers Putin at @fhollande's cramped #DDay luncheon table pic.twitter.com/S2CCQiQ3mL by @MRWichmann v @crusoes
— Nikolaus von Twickel (@niktwick) June 6, 2014
12:37
6.6.2014
As our news desk reports, separatists in Donetsk have seized a hospital:
Pro-Russian separatists have seized part of a hospital building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
A spokesman for the regional administration said the separatists apparently wanted to use the clinic to provide treatment for injured fighters.
Ukraine's Border Guard Service, meanwhile, said eight crossings on the border with Russia in Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk region were temporarily closed on June 6 after heavy fighting.
Among those was the border crossing near the town of Marynivka, some 95 kilometers east of Donetsk, where the agency said 15 separatists were killed and five border guards wounded in overnight clashes.
Ukraine's government has said separatist fighters are crossing the border from Russia.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "outraged" by the closure of the border crossings. (UNIAN, Interfax, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
A spokesman for the regional administration said the separatists apparently wanted to use the clinic to provide treatment for injured fighters.
Ukraine's Border Guard Service, meanwhile, said eight crossings on the border with Russia in Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk region were temporarily closed on June 6 after heavy fighting.
Among those was the border crossing near the town of Marynivka, some 95 kilometers east of Donetsk, where the agency said 15 separatists were killed and five border guards wounded in overnight clashes.
Ukraine's government has said separatist fighters are crossing the border from Russia.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "outraged" by the closure of the border crossings. (UNIAN, Interfax, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
12:06
6.6.2014
LATEST from our news desk:
Reports say Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly spoke with Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko on June 6 on the sidelines of D-Day commemorations in France.
11:04
6.6.2014
From our news desk:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Ukraine's President-elect Petro Poroshenko at D-Day anniversary events in France.
It was their first meeting since Poroshenko was elected president of Ukraine on May 25.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also present at the meeting which took place after world leaders gathered for a group photo before heading to a formal lunch.
The encounter followed a meeting between Putin and Merkel earlier today in the coastal resort of Deauville.
Separately, a French official speaking on condition of anonymity said Putin and Poroshenko shook hands during a 15-minute meeting before the formal lunch.
It was unclear whether Putin and Poroshenko met twice.
The D-Day anniversary events in Normandy comes amid a rift between Russia and Western nations over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
The events were preceded by intense diplomacy in the hope that a meeting between the Russian and the Ukrainian leaders could lead to a thaw in global tensions.
It was their first meeting since Poroshenko was elected president of Ukraine on May 25.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also present at the meeting which took place after world leaders gathered for a group photo before heading to a formal lunch.
The encounter followed a meeting between Putin and Merkel earlier today in the coastal resort of Deauville.
Separately, a French official speaking on condition of anonymity said Putin and Poroshenko shook hands during a 15-minute meeting before the formal lunch.
It was unclear whether Putin and Poroshenko met twice.
The D-Day anniversary events in Normandy comes amid a rift between Russia and Western nations over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
The events were preceded by intense diplomacy in the hope that a meeting between the Russian and the Ukrainian leaders could lead to a thaw in global tensions.
10:29
6.6.2014
As our own Glenn Kates details, eastern Ukraine's Russian speakers aren't the only minority calling for more rights for their language. Read In Ukraine, Calls For Autonomy Far From Restive East
09:52
6.6.2014
As Interfax reports, pro-Russian separatists in the village of Konstantynovka have managed to fix up a World War II-era tank at a war memorial and send it in to combat.
"Our craftsmen have managed to start the engine of the IS-3 tank displayed on a platform in the park. The tank is being prepared and will engage in the combat soon," the press service of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic told Interfax.
If this is the tank in the video below, it's hard to say how effective this may prove to be:
09:32
6.6.2014
As our news desk reports, Chechens aren't the only ones from Russia's North Caucasus fighting in eastern Ukraine:
The head of Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Ingushetia says Ingush "volunteers" are among pro-Russian separatist militants in Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said on June 5 that some 20 to 25 Ingush men had joined pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
He added that at least four Ingush men were reported to have been killed in the clashes with Ukrainian military forces.
According to Yevkurov, the Ingush fighters traveled to Ukraine not from Ingushetia but from other regions of the Russian Federation.
Media in Ukraine have reported the presence of Chechen, Ingush, and Ossetian fighters in the ranks of pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine's east, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting separatists for weeks. (RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service, with Interfax and Tvrain.ru)
Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said on June 5 that some 20 to 25 Ingush men had joined pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
He added that at least four Ingush men were reported to have been killed in the clashes with Ukrainian military forces.
According to Yevkurov, the Ingush fighters traveled to Ukraine not from Ingushetia but from other regions of the Russian Federation.
Media in Ukraine have reported the presence of Chechen, Ingush, and Ossetian fighters in the ranks of pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine's east, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting separatists for weeks. (RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service, with Interfax and Tvrain.ru)
09:30
6.6.2014
08:48
6.6.2014
As our news desk reports, Kyiv says 15 separatists were killed in fighting on the border:
Ukraine's Border Guard Service says 15 pro-Russian separatists have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine along the border with Russia.
In a statement on June 6, the service said clashes late on June 5 near the town of Marynivka, some 95 kilometers east of Donetsk, resulted in the deaths of 15 separatists. It said several trucks used by the rebels were also destroyed.
Five members of Ukraine's armed forces were wounded in that fighting.
Following the clash, Ukraine's government ordered several border crossings with Russia closed.
Ukraine's government has said separatist fighters are crossing the border from Russia.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "outraged" by the closure of the border crossings. (Reuters and AP)
In a statement on June 6, the service said clashes late on June 5 near the town of Marynivka, some 95 kilometers east of Donetsk, resulted in the deaths of 15 separatists. It said several trucks used by the rebels were also destroyed.
Five members of Ukraine's armed forces were wounded in that fighting.
Following the clash, Ukraine's government ordered several border crossings with Russia closed.
Ukraine's government has said separatist fighters are crossing the border from Russia.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "outraged" by the closure of the border crossings. (Reuters and AP)