A Russian state television reporter
was among the latest casualties of fighting between Kiev forces
and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday as the
European Commission released its first tranche of aid.
The Russian foreign ministry described the death of Rossyia
24 journalist Igor Kornelyuk in a mortar attack near a village
outside the east Ukrainian city of Luhansk as "a new crime by
the Ukrainian armed forces" and called for an "objective
inquiry" into the incident.
A colleague, sound engineer Anton Voloshin, was reported
missing following the attack.
Meanwhile six pro-Russian rebels were reported dead
following clashes in the separatist stronghold of Kramatorsk in
the eastern Donetsk region and 30 Ukraine soldiers sustained
injuries in fighting near the border with Russia.
Separatist leader Natalia Grudzenko was arrested in the
port city of Mariupol, officially recaptured by Kiev forces on
Friday.
Also on Tuesday the European Union disbursed 500 million
euros of a broader aid package for Ukraine amounting to 11
billion euros agreed by Brussels in March.
"It's up to Kiev to decide how to use the money, according
to its needs," said European Commissioner for Economic Affaris,
Olli Rehn.
Ukraine could use the money to buy gas after Russia cut off
supplies over a pricing and payment dispute on Monday.
Separately on Tuesday, Ukraine's newly elected president
Petro Poroshenko appointed MP Irina Gherashenko, a
representative of Udar, the party led by former boxer Vitali
Klitschko, as his envoy for the peaceful resolution of the
crisis in the east.
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