Pro-Russian separatists killed in Ukraine attack

A pro-Russian leader asked Moscow to send peacekeepers after five people were killed in an attack by gunmen on Sunday at a checkpoint, Russian state television reported.

The checkpoint in eastern Ukraine was being manned by pro-Russian separatists.

The state-run Rossiya 24 news station, citing its correspondent in Slaviansk where the attack took place, said three of the dead were the separatists and two were from the group that attacked the checkpoint.

Russian's foreign ministry responded to the attack on Sunday, saying it was outraged by the attack that breached an Easter truce, urging Kiev to abide by the terms of an international accord.

"The Russian side is outraged at this provocation by the fighters," the ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

"The Russian side insists on Ukraine's strictly fulfilling the obligations it took on to de-escalate the situation in south-eastern Ukraine."

(Developing story)

[With Reuters and AFP]