al jazeera david chater is in luhansk. he was watching the gun battle. >> as you can hear behind me the fierce fire fight going on. heavy explosions, if you can make out that's the actual base on fire. bullets are coming over our heads so we've had to take cover. the camera is still rolling so you can see exactly what is happening. so an increase in the fighting there. we've had a half hour of cease-fire. we thought it was safe. but the bullets are flying at the moment. >> reporting in luhansk. let's get more. kim, we could see in that report from david chater how much the violence is escalating in luhansk. what is happening right now in ukraine? >> reporter: well, i can just tell new the past few moments we've just had confirmation there has been an explosion in the administration building in luhansk. the fighting has spread to the outskirts of the city. that's where the battle began in the early hours of the morning. we understand that there are now as feign as 500 pro russian separatists taking part in this attack. and

the regional headquarters in luhansk. a sukoy jet fighter attacked the building with rockets. this footage shows how the quiet, tree lined square was transformed by deadly cloud of shrapnel. the authorities in kyiv claim it was caused by a missile, deploy deployed by the separatists themselves. five people were killed in the attack and many more were injured. the crowds were angry and wanted their voices to be heard. >> translator: ukraine should stop this war, there should be round-table negotiations. topping the citizens of ukraine will never forget this. >> opened up all air raid shelters in the city which houses more than 400,000 people. instructions are handed out to the population telling them what to do whether the air raid sirens go off. >> it is a tactic that they have used in the middle east and other countries. >> reporter: the american government has accused the russians of committing a war crime here. russian sponsored idea of creating humanitarian corridors to allow families to flee could be the only way to

the border guard base in luhansk. separatist fighters were methodically taking everything they left behind. not just thousands of rounds of ammunition, but body armor and the very latest night vision equipment. even the fuel left in the tank of a burnt out truck wag being zioned out. this is not just a humiliating defeat for kiev, it also means that they no longer have eyes or ears on a large section of the russian border. in the communications room, evidence of the fierceness of the fighting here. the soviet-era equipment was still humming and running. this map shows the border posts that were controlled by this headquarters, one by one they are being deserted. they have lost contact with the chain of command. among the separatist fighters we found a former teacher. >> translator: if they defend themselves we will have battles and we will smoke them oil of our regis. we want to live a normal life without war. >> reporter: in the regional headquarters of the city, that was hit by ukrainian air force jets earlier this

it was landing at luhansk in the east. defence spokesman said 49 people have been killed. this is a moving story. let's get the late forest kim vinnell, who is close to donetsk. what more do we know about the incident, kim? . >> i can tell you it was an il-76 military transport plane carrying military personal and supplies, going in as part of a rotation into the donetsk airport. we understand 49 have been killed much the plane was shot down last night. i can bring you breaking news now - the ukranian military has started launching air strikes on checkpoints in luhansk, and attacking a military base in the region, taken over by pro-russian separatists. a dangerous development. separatists in luhansk are in control of the city, taking control of two nard base, and had -- national guard base and have checkpoints in the city. they say they'll meet the attack with everything they have. it's not an easy task to bring down a plane of this size. the defense minterry says there's heavy artillery, anti-aircraft. this will play out in the coming hours. we'll hear strong words from k

al jazeera, luhansk. >> stay with us here on al jazeera. the israeli military hunts for missing teenagers in the occupied west bank and points the finger at palestinians. and we report from democrati democratic republic of congo where people here are forced where people here are forced into rebel groups. the performance review. where people here are forced into rebel groups. that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business. >> you are watching al jazeera. iraq's prime minister called on his countryman's in the nation against fighting members. of illinois. separatist strongholds in eastern ukraine shoot down a plane in the city of luhansk. 49 people were killed. >>> in afghanistan's voting the turn ou

. ♪ ♪ >>> pro-russia separatists have now seized two government bases in the eastern city of luhanskch were abandoned by ukrainian government forces. intense fighting there has forced many people to flee from the city and there is continued violence in and around the eastern city o. here is our correspond effort david chater. >> reporter: after another night of intense clashes in the city, some of the girls and boys ended up on this school bus without their mothers. >> translator: who is going to look after them, one woman demanded? >> reporter: they have been driven across the russian border and will be found a safe half then crimea. a last look at the streets in the country where they were born. anxiety etched on their faces, not knowing the dangers they will face to the road ahead but leaving behind a city now engulfed in a war. the bright sunshine belied the somber mood. it was a day filled with funerals. the people of the city and its leaders came to pay their respects to the separatist fighters who died this week defending their self-declared republic. nobody knows how many mor

they are saying that they are sending reenforcements to luhansk. we don't know exactly where from, how many, but they have said aviation and armor will be needed, and some form of excuse for what's happened. they say special forces military base around here couldn't get to the scene in time to give any aid to those 70 beleaguered border guards who are now under fierce attack. and the jet fighters keep having to be refueled, so they can't be above the scene tall time. the cover of darkness that has now fallen over this city, we've moved away from the areas of fighting just for protection' sake. means that the separatist fighters, 500 of them maybe more coming in may be able to launch their own attacks against those border guards. it was very noticeable when we came into the city. usually we find checkpoint out of checkpoint full of fighters. all we've seen is police most of them have been abandoned. drawn into that conflict so it might have been 500 at the start of the dawn raid. it's probably many more by now. >> david can you give us the sense of

more than 100 people were killed to the north of luhansk. he didn't clarify how many were fighters or civilians. we must take into account the announcement comes a day after separatists shat down a ukrainian military transport plane killing all 49 people on board. the streets here are somewhat quieter than they usually are. this is usually a very busy road, a main road. it's clear people here are expecting some sort of military attack in the coming days. >> meantime, ukraine says it expects to resume talks with russia tonight hoping to end a dispute over natural gas payments. russian gas exporter gazprom has given ukraine until monday to pay part of it's nearly $2 billion debt. otherwise the gas will get cut off which could disrupt the gas free to the entire european union since some come through ukraine. staying in europe, the italian coast quibbled has intercepted a wooden boat carrying 281 people. 93 children and six women allegedly were from syria and they were taken to southern italy. tens of thousands of my grantsz attempt to enter eur

in luhansk russian separatists are increasingly nervous. they know ukrainian troops will be surrounding them tonight. this road is usually very busy, but tonight you can see there are very few people o on the roads. we went down in the city which is under the control of russian separatists. they say they plan to spend the evening inside the government building. it's clear that they're expecting some kind of attack. >> are russian troops making their way to the ukraine. >> that's the claim, and n.a.t.o. has commented on tanks. n.a.t.o. released satellite images on the russian side of the russian border. the tanks were unmarked and were seen loaded on low loaders, a method of transporting tanks by road, which kind of raises questions about russia's roles and facilitating instability in the country. tonight we know that john kerry has spoken to his counterparts in russia saying that the u.s. and the g-7 partners are prepared to raise the cost for russia if it does not de-escalate this crisis. >> game, thank you. still ahead on the news hour. f

he is in luhansk. those really have been some of the most intense pictures of fighting that we've seen so far. >> reporter: yes, they've got them totally surrounded. we don't know how long the supplies of ammunition will hold out against the 500 separatist fighters that are pinning them down at the moment. behind me the firing just started again, by the way. there has ban cease-fire for about 30 minutes where both sides collected their injured and their dead. but it's not just behind me that has seen fighting during the course of the day. there was an airstrike against the local administration building in which the pro russian separatist fighters say five people were killed, and the mayor has ordered the air raid shelters to open up in the city. and in the streets, in the flats behind me, which has the view looking over the base, there has been a lot of fighting in the streets around there as well. clearly the fighters, the militiamen are trying to full assault the base itself, but so far they have bee

some of the fiercest fighting has been in the city of luhansk. david chater reports from the railway station there. >> the train arriving at platform 1 was sent from moscow. a way out for the children of lu hafns aman's -- luhansk as the r closes in on their city. a way out through the front lines. the putin express as the children christened it, taking them on a 20-hour journey to the shores of the black sea and the port of odessa. a sense of excitement mixed with fear about what the future may hold. they're leaving behind the sounds of machine guns and mortars. the air raid sirens and jet fighters in the sky. out-gunned. out-numbered and overwhelmed. the scene of yet another setback for the ukrainian army. the border guard base in luhansk, the separatist fighters were methodically taking everything they could, night vision equipment. even the fuel left in the tank of a burned out truck was being siphoned out. this was not just a humiliating defeat for kyiv, it also means they no longer have eyes or ears on a large section of the russian border.

have the -- in luhansk. have the air strikes been successful in pushing back the fighters? >> well i'm outside the luhansk hospital where some separatist fighters have been treated. a police officer shot outside the airport yesterday, he's in a critical condition. it's quite, but there's a reason. separatist fighters didn't want to stay. they are afraid of reprisals. doctors are jumpy. they put a red cross on the roof. fearing that hospitals may be targeted. the medical supplies are coming from russia. as far as pushing back the separatist fighters, i don't think really they've had much success. the separate its are in control of the city, taking two border guard bases. they have control of the military warehouse and the city administration building. as you mentioned the ukrainian troops are closing in on luhansk. >>> you say that they are closing in. >> n.a.t.o. released satellite images, and they back up a claim that russian tanks crossed into ukraine. if russia is actually aiding the rebels, how do you think the international community will respond? >> i think ukranian a

a safe way flow the front lines that are closing in on luhansk. the women and children are bussed through the russian border and taken to crimea. now the separatist fighters have control of a corridor coming out of luhansk, coming into the russian border. traffic is always two ways. >>> g7 leaders meeting in brussels for a final day of discussions, the agenda will include the economy. there's a warning too that russia risks further sanctions. russia is excluded from the discussion, but president vladimir putin says he remains open to dialogue. u.s. and russian president are due to join world leaders in france for the 70th anniversary of the normandy landings. they are not planning face to face talks. he will dine later, with barack obama, and then vladimir putin an hour or so later. diplomatic editor james bays joins us live. ukraine is not officially on the agenda. presumably it's being discussed because there's continuing violence that they are worried about. >> they'll certainly talk about the continuing violence in the margins of the meeting.

. >> reporter: very heavy fighting all day on monday in the an area in luhansk region. patrols for 700 kilometers between russia and ukraine. a border that is already fairly porous. there are fighters an heavy weaponry. we know that five militants were killed in this fighting, which involved very intense exchanges of gunfire and what appeared to be rocket propelled grenades. the rebels moved in to local apartment buildings and continued to fire from within those buildings. now also in the city of luhansk there was an incident at the municipal headquarters building which was taken over by the rebels, an explosion there on the headquarters. it appears from social media videos to have come from the ground, from the square itself though the rebels claim that this was actually caused by a ukrainian military jet flying overhead. the video would appear to contradict that story. two major incidents in luhansk on monday. whereas, in donyestk where i am, it has remained quiet. more and more check points have been felt by pro russian separatists. they're trying to prevent the ukra

diana magnay went to the scene of the attack. >> reporter: a bloody aftermath in the heart of luhansken killed, three men officials say. not fighters necessarily, more pa passers by. no chance against the sudden and powerful onslaught. this was the moment of impact. separatists blame the ukrainian air force. the kiev government saying instead that a rebel missile had misfired. a munitions expert with cnn in luhansk says damage to the tops of the trees in the square next to the building strongly indicate fire through the air. the ukrainians indicate this had nothing to do with a military aircraft which was circling overhead from the time of the attack but from what we can tell, this looks like very heavy cannon fire from an aircraft scraping through this square. you can see there are a dozen or so creases like this coming straight through this square and up the building. if this ws an attempt by the ukrainian air force to hit the separatist headquarters here, then it was a very accurate strike. the prime minister of the self-declared people's republic of luhansk say they hope it spring

thanks for joining us from luhansk. thank you. more to come on the newshour, including the struggle to build a bloodbank. cultural bar yours in south sudan prosecutor -- barriers in south sudan putting lines at risk. >>> and turning backs on the bollywood formula in bangladesh. >>> and a win in the world cup. >>> pashtuns are voting in the second round of the presidential elections. security forces are on high alert at tens of thousands of checkpoints the the taliban said they would disrupt an election. two rockets were fired at the airport. the vote has been largely peaceful. two candidates are vying to replace hamid karzai, who has been in power for two terms. ashraf ghani took 32% in april, facing christian abbiati, who gained -- facing abdullah abdullah. he aligned himself with the northern alliance, and became advisor to its leader. after the fall of the taliban he served as afghanistan's foreign minister from 2002 to 2005 and ran as an independent candidate in the 2009 election and lost to hamid karzai. the vote was fraudule

i think it's a very good sign that has been a little bit of draw down in luhansk. i think the mood on the ground amongst separatist fighters that i have been with is that this war is going to continues. they are going to continue fighting against the ukraine government because they call them terrorists, they have vowed

is a policemen who was shot near the luhansk airport yesterday.e is in critical condition. ukrainian troops are moving in on the city of luhansk, still in the control of pro-russian separatist fighters who took over two border guard basis last week. they control the military warehouse they control room the administration building and have checkpoints but they are increasingly nervous. they have seen fighting, sporadic fighting on the outsskirts and they are preparing for an imminent attack. authorities in kiev are commenting on nato satellite images which were released which nato fears shows russian tanks being loaded on to low loaders on the russian side of the border. low loaders are a method of transport of tanks going by road. authorities in kiev suggesting that this is further proof that, in fact, weaponry, personnel, heavy art i willery is coming across the border and implying that russia is sort of leading this pathllery is coming across the border and implying that russia is sort of leading this path. john kerry called the russian counterp

the government he said was in the control of separatists. >> kim vinnell in luhansk. more than 150 attacks grass afghanistan. dozens were killed. about 7 million people we want to vote, a turn out of about 60%. already, allegations ofly fraud have surfaced. this report. voters began queueing in kabul. they could twiss two a world economist or abdullah abdullah a former foreign minister but for jamil doni is. h, it is about much more than choosing the country's next leader. >> as an afghan, i could see that this is the second leanly it mat leader we have experienced in the history of the country. and we hope and all after gangs hope that we would have a bigger democracy. >> before the polls open, the attacks begin, first, rockets were fired at the capitol, kabul. fighting broke out in a number of provinces. several were injured. there were some reported deaths. by the time the polls closed, 150 attacks across the country were reported, 160,000 military and para military forces were deployed to keep voters safe. according to the interior minister, managed to deflect mos

it was shot outside the city of luhansk as it came in to land. in response the ukranian military started to launch air strikes on separatist positions in luhansk, attacking a military base and ground troops moved into a village outside luhansk, and a battle is under way. the luhansk people's republic will meet this with all the force they have. pro-russian separatists are refusing weapons from across the border. the luhansk says it has control of a military warehouse, where it's receiving weapons from. kiev, it appears, is going to use all its military might in meeting separatists. that was kim vinnell reporting from donetsk. the u.s. says that russia is providing russia with weapons, and they deny the claim. >>> now that bowe bergdahl is back on u.s. soil the army is starting a new investigation in why he left his post. according to the "new york times", a 2-star general will determine if bowe bergdahl violated any rules. the general is expected to receive an initial briefing in washington next week, then he'll assemble a staff in texas. the tea

separatists in luhansk took over two border guard basis and a military warehouse. they are warning ukrainian troops will have a fight on their hands should they enter the city. >> kim vinnell reporting from luhansk in ukraine. >> 10 people have been killed in attacks across afghanistan on election day. it was the run-off presidential election election officials, women and children are among the victims. the election marks the first democraticstetricians to power in the country's history. this report. >> reporter: most of these people did not take part in the election, there is a lot at attack. they wi they want to see a strong leadership e merge because over three decades there have been refugees in our other kicht trees. pack stan at the moment is hosting about 1.7 million who are registered. however, it is estimated another million may be unregistered. they would want to see a strong central government in afghanistan. they want to see suture and they want help from the new leadership to enable them to go back to their country. >> camel hider. we will look at the

david chater is in luhansk. >> the exodus has started, women and children first.ut moscow's call for humanitarianing rlg corridors to be set up. the fighters are doing the job themselves. april another night of intense clashes within the city, some of the school boys ended up without their mothers. who's going olook after them, one woman demand he. they are being driven across the russian border, finding a safe haven in crimea. anxiety etched on their face, not knowing the dangers on the road ahead but leaving behind a city now engulfed in a war. the bright sunshine belied the somber mood. it was a day filled with funerals. the people of the city and its leaders came to pay theirs respects. to the separatist fighters who died this week defending their self-declared republic. nobody knows how many candles will have to be lit for dead here. calling it an antiterrorist operation. the people here now say the real terrorists are the ones now in power in kyiv. the border guard behind me is still refusing to surrender. they're heavily outnumbered and are being attacked e

. >>> forces have had to abondon a checkpoint in luhansk after ruling out of ammunition. elsewhere separatist fighters are continuing an attack on a border guard base. 18 border guards were injured. we have been sent an update from the city. >> reporter: these are some of the rounds i collected from this roof-top position above the national guard base that was captured by the separatist fighters during the course of the night. this is a residential block, have eight about 20 yards away and has a commanding view looking over the national guard base. we don't know yet whether it was an effective surrender, whether they surrendered their weapons, the story is not clear. many frightened residents watched. >>> the military launched its heaviest attack. pro-russian separatists have had hold of the city. residents say they are caught in the crossfire and plead for it to stop. this report may contain disturbing images. >> reporter: this is the aftermath of a military attack on the outskirts of slovyansk. the body of a pro-russian fighter is sluxed in the front -- slumped in the f

. >> that is pro-russian secretary attacked a border guard base in luhansk and the attack could havea division to bring people over the russian border into ukraine. well obama's visit comes as nato defense minister meet in brussels and al jazeera editor james is there, james, what are we expecting to come out of this meeting? >> reporter: this is the first of a series of important meetings this week on the ukraine which are taking place here in brussels. today we are looking at the military part of things, nato looking for what else it can do to deter russia from taking further action in ukraine and also about the situation of crimea because nato along with many other countries around the world believe that that is a part of a ukraine that has been stolen. at the moment what you have is small deployments and exercises of nato and troops in eastern europe with planes and aircraft and ships there but they are also now talking about maybe sending slightly more on a slightly more permanent basis that is the sort of thing that is being discussed but a limit to what they can do because i t

the rest of luhansk are in the control of or controlled by separatists. what we've seen today is ukrainian army moving. we've seen airstrikes. charging checkpoint. we've seen ukrainian ground troops moving in. no official comment made by kiev. yesterday pushing towards the border to redane control of 120 millimeters of the border that the government said was in the controlled of separatists. >> there was violence across afghanistan as people voted in the presidential run off election. ten people were killed and 99 injured in a number of attacks, and women, children, and even election officials are among those injured. we have reports from kabul. >> voters began queuing at polling stations like this one early in the morning. after registering they could choose between two men. a former world banking economist or former foreign minister. >> as an afghan i could see that this is the second legitimate leader in the history of the country, and we all afghans hope that we would have a different democracy. >> but before the polls even opened the attacks began. f

when hundreds ever separatists attacked a border camp in luhansk. david chater has details. >>> troops inside thought to number around 70 have been surrounded by a force estimated to be up to 500 strong. ukrainian jet fighters were scrambled flying mission he over the city of luhansk from which it was claimed the attacks were generated. surface to air missiles. heavy plumes of smoke are rising above the sky lines. the region near the russian border, northeast of the city of donetske has seen a sharp upsurge of fighters. ammunition and new weapons. this time, the odds seem heavily stacked against border guards have have been involved in a series of escalating firefight and infight. the separatists checkpoints have been reinforced by volunteer fighters from throughout former you be soviet union. they have sworn to protect the being new republic from kyiv's forces. labeling them terrorists and enemies of the state. attacks like this one set a serious challenge to that mission. as each day passes more and more volunteers are arriving, knowledge skims an

the airport in luhansk is the last major site in the control by ukrainian army. the national guard places, check points around the city are in the control or controlled by separatists. what we've seen today is the ukrainian army moving. we've seen airstrikes, we've also seen ukrainian ground troops move in. we hear they may now have control. meanwhile no, official comment from kiev. we have seen ukrainian military move forcel forcefully, pushing towards the water to regain control that have been in control of separatist. >> the democratic republic of congo, the a df has been forced back. the drc say this is the final stage in their campaign to stop the adf. roughly 800 people have been kidnapped by rebels in the last five years and few of them have returned. >>> now that he's back on u.s. soil the u.s. army is starting a new investigation into why bowe bergdahl left his post in the first place. according to "the new york times" the two-star general who previously served in afghanistan will determine if bergdahl actually violated any rules. now the general is expe

on the road to luhansk, the bod yes of three prospristists trying to avoid an advance. >>> the ukranian military are in control of the checkpoint. they say there was a battle last night. they are in control of another checkpoint which is on the other side of the barricades, on the other side of a river. separatist fighters had been in control of the checkpoints, but the ukranian military expect separatist fighters to regroup and launch another attack. soldiers are on edge, telling the driver that to pass would be suicide. those living nearby are afraid of what may come n. >> they were shooting. i know, i heard. it was very scary. >> translation: they passed. it's true. we are tired of this. >> reporter: it appears government soldiers are approaching fiercely guarded pro-russian strongholds in the east. separatists took over two borderline bases and control a warehouse. ukranian troops will have a fight on their hands, they warn, should the soldiers enter the city. >> in bangladesh, nine were killed during fighting. violence broke out between you'reed u peeking muslims. they were set up

the aircraft was 700 meters above the ground unroute to luhansk. it is a hot bed of activity. rebels brought the plane down with a surface to air missile and a heavy machine gun. these images purport to show the impact. now the government is vowing to punish what it calls a cynical act of terrorism. just hours earlier, the ukrainian military claimed a significant victory bringing the southeastern port city under government control. a victory overshadowed by events in and around luhansk. >> to afghanistan now where votes are being counted in a's presidential runoff election with officials saying turnout was higher than expected reaching nearly 60%. the taliban had threatened to disrupt the vote and there was some violence, but no major attacks. voters were choosing between he leading candidate and his rifle to replace hamid karzai as president. the winner is expected to be announced in july. >> the contents of these boxes will decide the political future of afghanistan. for the first time, afghanistan is attempting a democratic transfer of power, an opportunity many afghans did

throughout the day, luhansk was the scene of heavy clashes between the two sides. hundreds attacked the ukrainian border post in one of the biggest offensives so far. these images show them firing from the roof of a nearby residential building. a ukrainian office spokesman said -- said they sent aircraft to the area, but they were unable to stop the fighting. >> to the u.s. now -- the obama administration has unveiled a wide-ranging plan to reduce carbon emissions by 30%. it will be a two percent annually on average over 10 years. >> much of the u.s. public does not support the move with many americans skeptical that carbon emissions are even the primary culprit in rising global temperatures. >> powerplants are the biggest source of carbon pollution in the u.s., responsible for 40% of the country's carbon emissions. the new legislation aims to bring down the number. at it has been drawn up by the u.s. environmental regulator, which says the measures will protect the public and the method the economy. >> for the sake -- and benefit the economy. >> for the sake of ou

while reporting from luhansk, lag reporter david chater had to take cover. >> reporter: that's the base on fire. [ gunfire ] >> luckily david chat er and his crew, they are all together. and, in fact, david continued with his report while ducking for cover. our team will stay in luhansk to continue covering events in ukraine. >>> syrian elections are expected tomorrow, over the weekend 50 people were killed in the embattled city of aleppo. they are expected to win re-election and that could jeopardize efforts to stop the conflict. >> they are arguebly the two most senior expected diplomats in the world. former u.n. secretary kofi ann annann and negotiator brahimi. but all efforts failed, and the death toll is higher than anyone could have imagined when the conflict started more than three years ago. no one is able to keep an accurate count but it is without doubt the most deadly conflict this century. >> the hard work starts now. >> the peace efforts were based on a rare moment of international agreement with geneva acard of jan 2012. if called for a new transitional government in syria

this is a of the lost of three other border posts in luhansk. but it appears the claims of victory may be premature. al jazerra's kim managed to enter the remote town where the battle is far from over. >> reporter: on the russian border it's a town on lock down, most people here are in hiding from both the ukrainian military surrounding the town and the separatists trying to gain control. for the past two days, few have ventured outside. >> translator: i feel fear. fear for myself and for my children. >> reporter: these women told us they never imagined this conflict would end up on their doorstep. even as we spoke, a reminder of their new reality. as heavy machine gun rounds rangrangout. the military moved in quickly on thursday afternoon when a border guard headquarters came under a being at that. kiev says 15 separatists were killed. we went to a hospital where some of the wounded pro-russians are being treated. we were told the fight is far from over before armed men forced us out. this is where those fleeing are fighting or coming. the foun

it doesn't talk about the self-republic of luhansk. it's a blunt language.e up arm, leave the country, leave the place. if you don't want to be part of the process, you will be eliminated. i think what's on the ground happening and important is strengthening of the border. the ukrainian defense minister spoke to kiev and basically said that we're succeeding in closing the borders. the infiltration of weapons in particularly heavy armor reported by david which we still have to verify whether it crossed the border or local stock looks like it probably did cross the border. has to be verified as i said. i think if ukraine manages to prevent that kind of flow of military traffic across the border into ukraine, i think it will squeeze the rebels into a smaller pocket and probably will be very bloody and messy. >> add to that the fact that president poroshenko says he's going to sign the eu deal which sparked this crisis last november. that is going to enrage further those people in the east of the country who are going to have to see factory closures and job loss

half an hour's drive north of luhansk. the fighting has been taking place between the ukrainians that hold the check point at the end of the street and fighters from the self-declared luhansk republic. the evidence of fighting everywhere, scraps of shell casing or mortgagers here, you can see one of the blast craters in the roads here. serious explosions in the buildings too. the big hole in the side of that building. there's a hole in the side of this shop. this building here has lost almost all roots. some of the shells even landed on residential homes. you can see the shell landed in this house. it has blown it apart. two people living there were killed. you can see the force of the blast. it's blew the roof right across the the street. it's further evidence of the increasing numbers of civilian casualties in this low level war in eastern ukraine. back up the road across the main highway, we found this. they've blown up the main foot bridge blocking the roots back to the city. it's a dramatic way of the troops of the se

much of the recent violence has sentencerred on luhansk. citizens are bracing for more. kim vinnal reports. >> reporter: the governor said on sunday in the previous 24 hours, more than 100 people had been killed as the ukrainian military moved in to take control of two towns to the north of luhansk. he didn't clarify how many of that number were separatist fighters and how many were civilians. >> figure is impossible to independently verify but it does seem to coincide with what we are hearing from officials in kiev. a spokesperson for the government's antiterrorism operation says 250 separatist fighters have been killed in the entire military operation across the east. so obviously the number of casualties in this conflict is continuing to rise. fighting meanwhile is ongoing. slovyansk is continuing to beshelled every night and in the town of ambrosivka, renewed clashes have broken out. luhansk, the people and separatist fighters are expecting a military attack at any moment. they say the town is beginning to be surrounded by ukrainian troops, but they say they will sta

amateur video showed flames and heavy black smoke rising from the base at luhansk. at least five rebels were reported killed, but one of their commanders said the battle would continue. >> ( translated ): valeri bulatov, the people's governor of luhansk, gave the government troops an ultimatum and they have time to surrender their weapons and go home from the luhansk people's republic. they refused to do that. that is why we launched special operations against them. >> ifill: later, the separatists said a government air strike killed two people. the military denied it, and blamed the explosion on a rebel rocket that misfired. in libya, at least 20 people were killed in the latest fighting between islamist militants and forces of a renegade general. almost 70 others were wounded in battles in benghazi as helicopter gun-ships attacked the militants' camps. palestinian president mahmoud abbas swore in a new unity government today. the new cabinet has the support of both fatah, from the west bank, and the islamist militant group hamas, which controls gaza. the two facti

inside ukraine intense fighting force many people to flee from the eastern city of luhansk. pro russian separatists have attacked bases which have been abandoned by government forces. >> reporter: after another night of intense gnashe clashes in the city some of the boys and girls ended up on the school bus without their mothers. >> who is going to look after them one woman demanded. >> reporter: they have been driven across the border and will be found in a safe hay no one crimea. a last look at the state and country where they were born. anxiety etched on their faces not knowin knowing what leads on the road ahead but know they will be leaving the city in war. it was a day filled with funer funerals. the people of the city and it's leaders came to pay their requests to the separatist fighters who died this week the ukrainian government are calling their military offensive an anti-terrorist operation. the base behind me is still refusing to surrender. they're heavily outnumbered and they're being attacked each night. this is the national guard base in luhansk that was overr

only as the peaceful people of luhansk. 250 separatist fighters have been killed. obviously the death toll is climbing and people across the country are divided over this conflict. we have this report. >> ukrainian capitol, large crowds are back on independent square. they're here to mourn the 49 victims of an airport shot down by russia by pro-russian separatists. they're urging ukraine's fledgling government to do more. >> we need changes. >> the eastern city has experienced nothing but change in recent weeks. the ukrainian flag now flies high over city hall following the recapture of the town over the weekend. but the violence continues to take a civilian toll. here locals were gathered to remember the leader of their church killed in the process fire. when this factory's billionaire owner sided with kiev, they formed their own security control. >> things have been getting tougher here when all this started in kiev we were watching it calmly on tv. we never thought this could happen to our peaceful city. >> of course, we want there to be peace and calm. we just

this footage shows the shelling in the city of luhansk. paul brennan joins us from donetske in eastern ukraine. >> four separate communiques were issued by the four heads of state attending the conference this afternoon. what they have said is there's an urgent need for contact group, representatives of kyiv, moscow, and osce to get together as a matter of surgts to try put together as a practical reality the principles which have been agreed to, recently, such as the coordination of the border controls, to make sure the border controls are secure, and lists were supposed to have been made up and the start of hostage handovers to take place. we have seen some of the osce hostages hand he over but there's precious little evidence of any of the other people detained by either side being exchanged. i have to say, there is a little bit of the a cat amongst the pigeons. news source in kyiv which tonight is reporting alarming and fascinating. the website is claiming that its sources have said that president poroshenko feels that the terrorists a

much of the violence centered on the city of luhansk, civilians are bracing for more. we have this report. >> reporter: the governor of the donetsk people's republic said in the previous 24 hours more than 100 were killed as the ukranian military moved in to take control of two towns. he didn't clarify how many from fight exercise how many civilians. it seems to coincide with what we here interest officials. a spokesman said in the past 24 hours 250 separate of the fighters had been killed in the military operation across the east. the number of casualty yes is continuing to rise. fighting is ongoing. slovyansk is continuing to be shelled every night. in one town renewed fighting and clashes brock out. in luhansk, the people and separatist fighters expect a military attack at any moment, saying the town is surrounded by troops, but they will stand and fight until the end. >>> tensions rise as a search continues for three missing settlers in the west bank. binyamin netanyahu blamed hamas. the mother of the american teenager is speaking out about the ordeal, hoping for t

we've spent the day further east from here in lufn luhansk city. the cease fire has been unilaterally by the ukraine government. it will have its own cease fire. they want compensation for families for cities they still want ukrainian troops pulled out of the east. these are things that i think president poroshenko in kyiv will find very difficult to actually meet. but it is an opening and from that point of view then i think that the people here in the east will be grateful for that small mercy. >> so paul, i guess as you've been seeing it could lead to negotiations difficult those mighten but do you think some of the residents there will sees on it as a chance to escape and leave the area? >> well, we've been as i say in luhansk and we have seen people leefg by train, leaving by road and this hasn't just been happening today, it's been happening over the last week or so. because the very real fear was based on what president poroshenko himself said, that if the separatists did not lay down their weapons by the end of the cease fire on friday morn

. >>> separatists have seized two bases in luhansk. the intense fighting has forced many residents to flee the city. >> the exodus of civilians has started in luhansk. women and children there. but the ukrainian government has spurned moscow's call for the corridors to be set up through the front lines to allow them safe passage. after another night of intense clashes in the city, some of the girls and boys ended up on the school bus without their mothers. >> who is going to look after them, one woman demanded. they're being driven across the russian border. a look at the streets and country where they were born. anxiety etched on their faces not knowing the dangers they would face on the road ahead, but leaving behind a city now engulfed in a war. the bright sunshine belied the somber mood. it was a day filled with funerals. the people of the city and it's leaders came to pay their respects to the separatist fighters who died this week defending their self-declared republic. no one knows how much more candles will have to be lifted fr

the attack happened in the eastern city of luhansk as the plane was coming in to land. following developments in the eastern city, let's talk about this explosive device in kiev. what do you know about it? >> that's right. we're hearing from our sources in kiev that expected explosive device was found very close of the new ukrainian president petro poroshenko. we have put in several calls to the press service there, and people close to the president who have neither confirmed or denied it. what we have seen is a decision by the president to call a meeting of the national security and defense council. somewhat significant step primarily because this council does have the power if it wants to declare a state of emergency. we are following this, and if we do hear any more confirmation from the presidential office about this device we'll let you know. >> and these attacks in luhansk, what about that? >> yes, that's right. you mentioned the attack on the ukrainian aircraft that was coming in to land at midnight last night. the airport is the only part of the city that is sti

. >> quarters came under attack in luhansk, that's in addition to the border crossing that also came under attack from a column of volunteers coming in from russia. what's happened as a result of that is that the ukrainian government no longer has eyes or ears on a large stretch of the russian border. it's poor enough anyway, but the fact that their headquarters in luhansk has been overrun by separatist fighters, i was only there yesterday, emergence there is a huge section of the border, the border with russia where nobody knows what's happening. that is a vital flaw in the strategy here, the ukrainian government must defend its borders, that is open for any resupply and volunteer fighters they want to get in, any sophisticated weaponry they want to get in. this is the plain problem with petro poroshenko, even with 15 minute conversation with presidents vladimir putin, how are they going to drawback from what is happening? who is really in control? that's the real problem with this so-called first step on the peace part here. >> that's an important question, who is in control. we'll

obviously if this is going on and if it is the extent, this is a major battle happening in l i luhanskst they come across from russia in a special brigade. can you tell us about that? >> difficult to say where and how they came. there are reports from the ukrainian officials. the border guards service head themselves saying they do come regularly. this has been an issue of the ukrainians for quite some time now. we spoke to the foreign minister last week who was saying militants are coming over the border. it should be said it is confirmed there are russian militants fighting there. separatists themselves said they have had deaths and repatriated russian citizens back to russia. >> david stern speaking to me from kiev. israeli warplanes attacked targets after palestinian militants fired rockets to israel. the raid took place hours before the palestinian unity government began swearing members in. that's dominated by the party and includes hamas after a reconciliation deal. we are joined now live from there. israel is furious about this. do we know the makeup of this government, what th

ukranian jet fighters were scrambled, flying missions over luhansk, from where it's claimed the attackas coordinated, firing out flares to guard against surface to air missiles. plumes of smoke are rising above the sky line. the local authorities claim five were killed when the jets targeted a local administration headquarters. one of the many sites taken over by the forces. the mayor ordered air raid shelters to be opened as fighting escalates. the region near the russian border, north-east of donetsk has seen a sharp upsurge of fighters coming in with ammunition and weapons, they swore to defend the self-declared people's republic against kiev's forces. ukraine's president elect is about to press through a mission against them. labelling them as terrorists and enemies of the state. >> attacks like these could endanger the mission. with each day that passes more and more volunteers are coming in, many battle hardened veterans, with skills and weapons that could challenge the ukraine army. >> close by civilians started to flee the area. we came across a mother speaking on a mobile phon

david chater, al jazerra, luhansk. >>> spain's will hand over the rule to his son in june.and son haven't appeared since the a abdication. spain's monarchy is controversial. on monday 10s of thousands protested against the king. here is a report. >> reporter: his first appearance since the abdication, king juan carlos looked frail and u unstable. his son and successor for instance felipe always by his side. the king may have lost his popularity in recent years, but for many people here, he bill always be remembered as a man who made democracy popular and united spain. >> catalonia, very different people, but all of us have a common king. and the king represents spain. >> reporter: with the grandeur and history of ceremonies like this seem out of the step with the reality of life under austerity. millions of spaniards can't find work and 10s of thousands of people came to the streets on monday calling for a referendum. >> translator: i think it would be better if the whole family abdicated. and allow us to be governed by politician that his we elect. >> reporter: but the spa