richard is standing by in donetsk for us now. what can you tell us about this latest fighting that we're getting reports of? >> clive, we're near the railway station in donetsk city. we heard an ex ploplosioexplosi. there's been pro russian separatist, rebels and ukrainian army. it seems the ukrainian army moved out or some forces moved out from the airports which they control towards this area. certainly exchanges of artillery fire. at one point sounded like multiple rocket launchers. the separatist rebels have rushed in reinforcements. we have seen bus loads of fighters going on, tanks moving in this area and armored personnel carriers. it seems what the army lanched is a pretty serious operation. what we don't know is what the goal is at this moment. >> sure. is the suggestion that if the fighting is taking off again and getting worse that that could make it difficult for investigators to get near the site of the plane downed a few days ago? >> in some specks, yes. donetsk is a kind of natural base for international teams to c

the people's republic of donetsk are declared. also police halls, other buildings in the hands of pro russian separatists. we are joined by daniel in moscow now. first of all, a brief word about the military attache. do we know if he's sent out of the country yet? >> weapon don't know yet. we haven't had a formal response from the russian foreign ministry about his detention and the fact he's been declared in ukraine. he was the naval and military attache in kiev. all we know he was detained in what was described as an intelligence operation yesterday and asked to leave. we don't know quite what's happening subsequent to that. >> right. we do know president putin and angela merkel have been talking in phone conversation. what are mr. putin's demands? >> putin was clear. angela merkel said to him he needed to do everything he could to free the observers detained in sloviansk at the moment. he said he wanted removal of all ukrainian military forces in the southeast of ukraine, an end to violence of what he called nationwide dialogue

we're going to donetsk to speak to david, our correspondent in donetsk for us. david, tell us what's happening there. >> reporter: well donetsk is stable although shouldn't be said it's quiet. there's a tension here. i've been talking to people on the streets very worried about what's going on. one man described an on occupation by the russians. another woman was very much for what's going on. she said to me, look at what a strong leader vladimir putin is. you can see there's many opinions. the question is really what's going to happen? what this operation if indeed launched will involve and what would be the reaction of the activists and reaction of russia. we watch carefully. we've been hearing from western capitals as well as kiev itself, a great deal of anticipation of next hours possibly will bring. >> david, wre have had pictures taken from facebook that came from secretary of national security defense council. we can't verify then. he says these are ukrainian troops in kiev getting ready to leave for the east of the country. is it possible to verify what

back in donetsk they're mopping up after fire ravaged the ice hockey arena. one report spoke of unidentified gunmen storming the building. the situation in the east is clearly still highly combustible. nick chiles, bbc news. >>> the situation at the aport is calmer than it was yesterday, but still pretty tense. mark lowen sent this report from here. >> reporter: you can see the aftermath of that intense fire fight around the airport yesterday. this truck completely burned out, the windows full of bullet holes. around the base of the truck, we can't show you because it's too graphic, there are body parts we've seen and a lot of blood, but also a lot of debris from the fighting that took place yesterday. now, we've been here this morning where there have been some gunshots that have rung out from the airport, but not the same intensity that there was yesterday. there was spore raddic gunfire coming from inside the airport compound. we understand that the ukrainian troops are largely in control of the airport base, but it seems that there was some kind of clear-

the borders between luhansk and donetsk reeje donetsk region. that makes situation for the ukrainians even more. >> we have the statement from vladimir putin that there should be immediate negotiations about state hood for south eastern ukraine. how mu how much did that ratchet up what's going on? >> he used the word which in russian means state hood, nothing else. his spokesman later said he was misunderstood. what he meant -- it does not really mean state hood. we can see there's only talk of independence for luhansk and donetsk regions. >> the accusations of direct russian military involvement continue. russia remains adamant this is not the case. >> that's correct. this is hard to believe that because the tanks and armored vehicles do not appear from nowhere. they have to come from somewhere. there are tanks as many experts pointed out that are not on the ukrainian army stops but are used by russian army. they appear to be operated by ukrainian rebels. that means those could have come only from russian territory. >> we heard osce in the last

the representatives of kiev, donetsk and luhansk. >> lavrov there. speaking at the heating, the british foreign minister william hague condemns the referendum. >> these attempts have zero credibility in the eyes of the word. they're illegal by anybody's standard. they don't meet a single standard of transparently being conducted in the public referend referendum. people organizing them didn't pretend to meet the standards. >> steve rosenburg says while president putin previously called for votes to be postpo d postponed, russia has decided to respect the results. >> moscow takes a different view from william hague. we heard from lavrov a few minutes ago. he was quoting from a kremlin statement issued earlier today, a short statement issued by the kremlin basically saying the referendum in the eyes of moscow represented the will of the people there. moscow noted the high turnout in those votes and made it clear it would respect the votes. it also described attempts to sabotage the votes with the use of violence including the use of heavy weaponry agai

in terms of the airports, we understand internal flights in ukraine coming to donetsk and leaving donetsk do appear to be operating again. international flights we understand are still cancelled for now. slightly fluent situation around the airport. there's a lot of concern in the run up to victory day celebrations may 9th and may 11th which is when the referendum is due to be held in donetsk and neighboring regions. referendum on independence for regions. both of those dates are potential flash points. authorities are concerned to stabilize the situation as far as possible before the dates. >> sarah in donetsk there. >>> in vienna, foreign ministers are meeting to discuss the crisis. we're expecting to hear from lavrov within this hour. before they started their meeting, the british secretary hague said he hoped the talks would achieve progress. >> if we could find diplomatic way forward to reduce tensions, all would do so. that would require stronger russian commitment. last time three weeks ago they came to geneva and did nothing to implement the agreements made. so if there is a furth

there's been fighting at the donetsk international airport. pro russian separatists apparently taking over part of the building with helicopter gun ships. ukrainian gun ships reported to be circling overhead and firing down. machine gunfire comes from the ground. one building is believed to be on fire. we'll get more in a meeoment. more of the news of the presidential election. >> petro poroshenko is a familiar face in politics. he always played a supporting role. now the 48-year-old chocolate king appears poised to take over the reigns of power. the results are not final, but he is already outlining his plans. chief on his list, a relations with russia. >> i hope that the world will support us. i hope mostly that the russian federation will support my approach on the decision in the east. >> mr. poroshenko is ukraine's seventh richest person and known as a tough businessman. people here on the kiev independence square say he will need all his managing skills to deal with ukraine's problems n. ukraine's east, government forces continue to batt

they have now returned to donetsk. in separate developments, ukraine's army says it is continuing to make advances against positions held by pro-russian separatists. now, these pictures are from social media, but they seem to show government forces close to the main rubble stronghold of donetsk. the army has reclaimed a string of key towns in the past few weeks as they attempt to cut the alleged supply routes from russia. however, civilian casualties continue to mount. local authorities in the second rebel stronghold of luhansk says one civilian was killed and ten injured in the fighting in the past 24 hours. tom burridge joins us now from kharkiv. let's talk about the attempt to get to the mh-17 crash site, another attempt and another failure. >> sure, clear frustration, i think, for all the international monitors going with those dutch forensic experts, trying to reach the crash site, that large area of country side to the east of donetsk for the fourth day running and being turned back. we believe they were turned b

sarah is there in donetsk. i asked her if this is a potentially ominous development. >> reporter: difficult to know what to read into it for the moment. it comes after a number of insulations here, key buildings, local governments, prosecutor's office, other buildings in donetsk itself taken over by pro russian groups. so this is the latest in that sense. it also comes after the interior minister in kiev put out a statement can which n which he did say trains in the region would be stopped by the ukrainian government imminently, he said. the terrorist operation was underway, as he described it, he said the railways would be shut down. difficult to know what to make of it. another line of key buildings and key places in the control of pro russian forces. >> sarah, what about sloviansk, different parts of the city held by different factions including ukrainians, pro russians and so on? >> reporter: not so much the city, no. the surroundings of the city. inside sloviansk itself, the situation is calm enough on the

region of donetsk declared itself people's republic. steve rosenburg has been sitting down with the man who appointed himself chairman to find out how far it is from reconciliation from kiev. >> the worst thing is people are becoming use to war despite what the media are saying especially ukrainian media. this is now a full scale civil war. innocent civilians are being killed. these deaths are no longer creating shock as the first victims did. the fact that ukraine has held a presidential election and poroshenko has won it, that doesn't change the situation. we think he's the one giving orders now. they want to get the dirty work done before his inauguration to make him look whiter than white. will they succeed? we'll see. we're not going anywhere. this is our home. >> so you're saying there's no way back? there's no way back to a united ukraine for donetsk? >> translator: we have passed the point of no return. if there be no aggression by kiev, no victims, then we could have held a referendum about being part of united ukraine. the sta

let's go to david stern also in donetsk. david, what are you gathering from other scenes like that around eastern ukraine? is anyone giving up ground? >> reporter: well no, nik. nobody is giving up ground yet. we've heard from the pro russian activists down the road as you heard from james. they are holding ground. they say the government in kiev is itself an illegally arm add group that seized power. until they leave, these people here won't leave. obviously there's a launch that needs to be done before this agreement is implemented. the question also is is really what is russia prepared to do. part of this agreement is russia would exert influence on protestors. russia up until now said they have no influence. officials and ukraine government say russia is disingenuous. >> do you think it are really is just a matter of time and eventually passions might cool and allow this deal to at least be implemented for the time being? >> reporter: well nik, it's difficult to say. but yes it's still very early. this deal is less than

whatever is said in geneva has time to filter down here to donetsk. >> let's go to donetsk live now with bbc david stern. has there been developments in the situation around that government building david, any negotiations? >> reporter: no, nothing at all. as you've been hearing from james down the street from here, there's no movement. in fact, a more of a digging in. this deal is barely a day older. it seems to run into difficulty. of course the pro russian activists saying the government in kiev is itself an armed military group and must vacate the buildings it has occupied. it should be said we're still early in this. as i say, it's only a day old. it's not clear if this is political posturing or perhaps russia has not been able to bring the influence promised on these groups. it should also be said the western officials and ukrainian officials say that russia is s disgenerous saying they're carrying these operations out themselves. >> russian forces are still on the border. wh are ukrainian troops visible in donetsk? >> reporter: yes, they are. it's a stand off. ukrainian troops are

the pro-russian separatists are telling us that at least 50 rebels have been killed in donetsk. the ukrainian government deployed helicopter gun ships and fighter jets in operations to retake the city's airport. to talk about the situation in ukraine we are joined by kiev from our correspondent david stern. slightly different numbers coming out in terms of the death toll. it e certainly seems like this was a bloody episode in this crisis. >> reporter: yes, that's exactly right. a very bloody episode. it's not over yet. we have been getting various numbers as you say. we were confirmed or we had our confirmations from the pro-russian separatists at least or around 30 of their gunmen were killed yesterday. now we're hearing from the russian agency that the self-proclaimed prime minister is saying around 50. it's difficult to say. what we can say is this was one of the fierce is it battles if not the beefiercest battle so f. we saw fighter jets and helicopters used yesterday. of course, the government says they are in control of the airport. we haven't been able to confirm that. if

i live in donetsk near the airport and railway station. it's very tense in donetsk at the moment. people are worried. i'm worried. we're worried for our lives and our homes because apart from that city, people don't have anywhere to go. it's the same for me. i've lived in donetsk all my life. i used to go outside a lot but since the fighting started i only go out when i have to train. i make up my mind depending on where i hear the shots coming from. if they're close, i stay in. if they're far a way, i go out and i'm not scared. well, it's still a bit scary. training for me became 100 times more difficult because it was scary to go outside or train in the swimming pool that was shaking. now when i hear noise or rustling, i think oh no, something is going to happen. and then the swimming pool where i used to train was hit. the water had to be drained out, so now there's nowhere for me to swim. i can only do general physical exercise like sit-ups. in donetsk it's really difficult to prepare for competition. i feel supported by everybody. lots of people say i should leave the city. t

kiev where ukrainian security services have released pictures of paratroopers captured near donetsk. it says they were on a special mission rejecting russia's account that soldiers crossed the border by mistake. timing is crucial. poroshenko meets his russian counter part vladimir putin for talks. we'll be live shortly where that is happening. nick reports on the latest. >> reporter: a raging tire cast a fog over donetsk in ukraine's troubled east. a result of shelling as forces and pro russian separatists continue their deadly struggle. tensions are on the rise again. these are some of the ten russian paratroopers kiev forces have captured in a direct russian incursion in the east of the country. the the latest word from moscow that the troops crossed the border by mistake. at the weekend, the separatists paraded captured ukrainian government troops through the streets of donetsk, their main strong hold. hardly overture. moscow continues to deny it. u.s. national security advisor tweeted repeated russian incursions into ukraine unacceptable, dangerous, inflammatory. they represent s

base here in donetsk. very tense, potentially troubling times here away from the fighting in slovyansk and further afield in the region. >> sarah rainford there. >>> let's go to nigeria. president obama says the kidnapping is heartbreaking as he put it. he described the militant islamist group boko haram as a horrendous organization. tomi olidepo. >> if you look at nigeria in recent times, the country has been growing, for example, economically. it's now the top economy in africa. and the government here has been keen to push that side of things. on the other hand, you have the insurgency, this violence that has been going on for a few years now. that's also growing. that doesn't seem to be ending. and so the government is torn between, you know, promoting itself as a growing economy, but also how to deal with this particular issue of the insecurity and if you look at this particular case, 200 -- more than 200 girls who have been kidnapped more than three week now, and their whereabouts are still unknown.

now they're defending sloviansk and donetsk. what do they do in terms of donetsk and how do they make of the situation they're in. i've be been speaking to alexander. that's not his real name. he puts himself forward for the spokesman of the donetsk republic. >> he promised to get rid of any separatists in a week or two. it's now, what three months, and we're still here. you know, to this moment, the situation in the area is a stalemate. >> they've been taken back by government forces. they're going to do the same thing with donetsk. >> i would say a victory of the army wasn't planned to retreat. there's just no point of defendi defendi defendi defending. most forces here are called to regroup to come up with a plan. i think the next move will be an attack. >> an attack by your forces you say? >> yeah. >> right. in which direction? are you still getting material, support armed men coming from russia? >> i can't say much about it. from what i've seen, most of the arms are coming from donetsk region. most are ex ukrainian weapons.

we're not going to donetsk at the moment. in fact we are. i'm sorry. just hearing in my ear we're going to our correspondent live from donetsk. sarah, they have defied president putin's call. do we really know what is going on? >> reporter: no in the sense of what the motives are on both sides, no we don't. we know president putin made the comment asking the rebels heru% u? their vote. they say they've considered that and actually thank you very much are going ahead. they said we expect president putin, his comments and concern for casualties here in eastern ukraine for human life. that's what they said. the vote should press ahead, because the believe it's the people's choice to come out and decide the status of the region of eastern ukraine. certainly that will happen sunday. the vote will go ahead. it's a vote with one question. do you support the people's republic of donetsk? that is this region here. the next region is also voting on some self-determination. we don't know what happens after that. the spoke people for the rebels, pro russian rebel

we went to another city in the south of donetsk yesterday. there is now ukrainian military check points on the main roads into that city. armored personnel carriers on the main road in this region. it's a very difficult situation. nobody knows now where this is going. >> also very wet. looks miserable as must be the mood there. thanks very much. >>> barclays says its will cut 19,000 jobs over the next three years following a string of disasters including the scandal. 7,000 go in investment banking. the bank tries to retreat from more risky areas. barclays will set up a bad bank to sell or run down non call operations. >>> nigeria's president johnson has said the kid thatti inappin school girls could mark the terrorism in nigeria. special lists are being sent to the state to look for the abducted schoolgirls. >> the government promised our sisters. i believe our assist will come almost immediately. the government of the united states of america, the united kingdom and france have also spokeen with me and expressed commitment to help us resolve

yet at the same time the prime minister in donetsk has the weekend. the president both pointed to the possibility of deinvolinvol power to a certain extend. is that now the route to take? >> the biggest problem is we cannot secure those who leave there. people are very much afraid of what's going on on their streets. kiev has to take actions to protect their security as long as we can. this is not only the region but also to show himself -- >> you keep talking about the russian involvement here. there's a very heavy and clear nationalist involvement as well isn't there? people in the downs, in the place like donetsk, so koz mo h cosmopolitan are per identified of russians? >> this is not the case. unlike crimea, they support ukrainians. they were treated very badly. this is the additional people waiting for russian provocation. they definitely can find someone on the propaganda by russia which is not actually the case in ukraine. not only russian speaking. they're using russian propaganda to find those who can theoretically support the separatist. >>

today it's under fire. >> he's there in donetsk. one of the big questions asked at the moment is whether or not there will be further sanctions against russian say. we have more on that. >> absolutely. all eyes on europe because the ball is really much in europe's court now increasing the pressure on putin. the leaders of britain, france and germany are preparing to impose tougher sanctions on russia. international shock and anger has intensified over the shooting down of flight mh 17. last week the u.s. imposed the most serious sanctions to date against moscow. foreign ministers will meet to discuss what sanctions should be taken. stephanie discusses why she thinks new sanctions will be hard. >> it's harder than most know. they have a strong economic tie with them also strong energy vulnerability. france of course has the defense relationship with russia and going to be furnishing the warship by october to russia. that's not being talked about a lot publicly but definitely talked about many brussels. that's not on the negotiating t

we've seen heavy fighting around the city of donetsk. that's the strategically important city. for month it's been the capital for pro russian rebels. it's a city that's important but also if the ukrainian army -- big if, we don't know when if they do. we think they could be mounting something in the future. if they take that city, it would be a propaganda coup. we think they're trying to maintain roads that link the city with russia to the east. the ukrainian government in kiev say those roads are essentially supply lines from russia to donetsk. of course russia denies supplying those pro russian rebels. it says actually the united states, europe is guilty of a propaganda woar when it comes t their role in this. >>> going to brussels where ambassadors are trying to agree tougher economic sanctions against russia over actions in ukraine. >>> a war crimes prosecutor says former leaders of the liberation army should face charges of crimes against humanitarian. a small amount of people seem to have been killed to harvest organs. >> this practice did occur on a limited scale. a sma

the people's republic of donetsk. barricaded inside, the separatists have plenty of sandwiches, but not much power. that was cut after they stormed the governor's office. nicholai calls himself the commisare of the eastern front. he tells me that the pro-russia activists who've taken control here are modern day oliver cromwells fighting for freedom. the people's republic has a people's council. but it's not very popular with kiev. it says that what's happening here amounts to an attempted coup. for now, the donetsk people's republic doesn't extend very far beyond this square. but people say they hope that with russia's help, they'll be able to hold their own crimea style referendum. judging by the russian flags and soviet music here they're making it very clear which country they'd like to join. it's not just donetsk where pro-russia activists have been storming buildings. in recent days, there have been clashes across eastern ukraine. this was khakiv as police struggled to secure the regional headquarters. there were

this is donetsk a top one of the buildings, the ukrainian flag. before that the the russian flag, then the ukrainian flag, then the russian flag. there's concern there may be a referendum here. that would be more problematic. skwraeupl republicjames reynold donetsk. >> this has been the center of protest and counter-protest in recent days. pro-russian demonstrators came here and swept their way in and raised the russian flag. but they have been conclude out. the building retaken by ukraine's authorities. as you can tell by this line standing and guarding the building. it is two offices deep. just as a precaution, have a look there. there are two trucks guarding the entrance. the deputy mayor of the city told the bbc he thinks a referendum may be a chance to caulk tensions to give a chance to decide its own status. there is a lot of skepticism. but for now these offices have their orders. they won't let anyone through. >> they are sending an unarmed team from 23 states. sit trying to enter crimea having been turned back yesterday. well, let's go to

he joins me from donetsk. it's been so difficult for us over the past few days to verify exactly what has been happening in lieu happens. can you give us an idea of the scale of the fighting there and the humanitarian situation as well? >> thank you for having me on. i was in li i was in lithere last week. firing in the city is constant. you see long lines for water, bread, medicine. the main and pressing humanitarian problem for residents of luhansk is the ongoing war and artillery and risk this poses to their lives. >> is there electricity and running water? >> no electricity or running water. people stand in line maybe four or five hours for water out of springs. the city comes alive around 6:00 in the morning. people obtain water, take it to their houses. by afternoon, it's entirely desserted and the fighting picks up. >> andrew, we had reports a few days ago of this convoy of refugees that came under attack. does that also mean people in luhansk have heard this and are also scared to even try to leave the

the leaders in these self-declared luhansk and donetsk republic say this will lend them legitimacy, but the fear here in kiev where i am is that it will either lead to a frozen conflict, as we've seen in georgia and other parts of the former soviet union, or perhaps to an escalation in the fighting, because there has been fighting ongoing ever since a truce was announced the beginning of september. 300 people in the last ten days. more than 4,000 since it started. so there's a great fear that this could lead, in fact, to even more or heavier combat operations than what we're seeing now. >> david stern there. >>> now, at least 24 migrants have died after their boat sank in the black sea off the turkish city of istanbul. seven of the people have been rescued. the vessel was believed to be carrying about 40 people, including many children. let's get the latest now. our correspondent mark lowen is in istanbul. this is terrible news, mark. what's happened? >> reporter: a migrant disaster on the shores of europe. this morning, early on in the morning, a vessel capsized about five kilometers n

we have reports from donetsk. we need more accurate reports from donetsk, about 34 civilians killed in the past 24 hours. what about luhansk? >> we don't really know. and i think the difficulty is the luhansk city, half a million in peace time, probably a quarter of that that is still left there now, is a city without electricity, without water, without land lines, without mobile -- so it is difficult to get information out of the city. what we do know is that certainly the figures of 34 dead in the city of donetsk may be accurate. how many have been killed are in the cross fire in outlying areas and villages, on the roads, in smaller towns and smaller townships around coal mines, for example. we don't really know. >> and if you're in luhansk, you'll know of course the missile is not very accurate. you'll probably see that going to the streets and also see it leaving because of the horrific reports of what happened to the refugees. >> this is one of the reasons why most of the roads are now unsafe and humanitarian

the security defense council tell us the towns in the strategic rebel held donetsk region as well the luhansk region. the self-proclaimed people's republic of donetsk says militia reinforcements are staging counter attacks. here's tom with the latest. >> fighting in the town east of the rebel controlled strong hold of donetsk. we believe this was filmed over the past two days by pro russian rebels. most of the fighting is now focused around donetsk after ukraine's army took the city of slovianviansk earlier this mont this is the city controlled by the russians. the leader of the pro russian rebels claim they're doing all they can to cut supply lines. >> i will knot estimanot estima battle. the enemy is throwing everything they have into battle. all possible resources are deployed to close the circle around the militia forces of donetsk. >> for two day, fighting has prevented a team of dutch experts and international observers from getting to the nearby crash site of flight mh 17. even with armed guards. >> for a third day running, it appears they might not reach the site. ukraine's ar

donetsk is a city of 1 million. that poses challenges to the government if it tries to dislodge the rebels. >> how would a blockade affect both these cities? >> that's a good question. we are waiting to see. they said it would be a full blockade. obviously this may not be a complete blockade. they may be letting food and medical things in, but the government says it will move in and surround the towns. whether they're capable of that is another question. according to the rebels, government does have a major number on its side. that's one of the reasons the rebels pulled out of other towns. they said then basically outmanned and outgunned by the government sources. >> thanks for that update in kiev. with me, he has just returned from kiev. we're talking about momentum behind the government. does it feel like a water shed moment? >> it does momentarily. i think this adds wind to the sail of the ukrainian government. they would be encouraged by the fact what they call terrorist operation is working in some parts of reb

we are joined from donetsk. sloviansk 50 to 60 miles from you. significant loss of life there mark? >> reporter: a huge blow to the ukrainian military tim. 14 soldiers dead after the helicopter was shot down near sloviansk. one of the 14 was an army general. the president said the helicopter was transporting personnel to a military base for a change of shift when it was shot down by rebels. sloviansk has been the center of heavy fighting in eastern ukraine. it fell to ukraine in the beginning. it is one of the areas the president elect is vowing to push forward and try to retake as he pushes on with an antiter operation to dismantle the terrorists and ban it to eastern ukraine. he has likened to somali pirates. >> what are the pro russian rebels still where you are in donetsk -- are they falsifying positions there? >> reporter: well, certainly they attempted to regroup when the ukrainian military launched a huge air assault on the air force monday and tuesday to try to get it back from rebel control. remember abels tried to seize i. we watched as rebel insurgents tried to regroup. t

there was a big march in their favor today in donetsk. it's not completely clear how much support they have. >> briefly, we talk about imf releasing to receive, much needed money there. also a warning from the imf the russian economy rirvsked becaus of sanctions. >> the first quarter of negative growth happened. everybody knows the second quarter is going to happen as well. also in recession. there are concerns if these sanctions carry on at this stage, there will be perhaps 2% reduction in the russian economy over the next year. that would be a fairly serious recession for a country that is already struggling slightly financially as it's demands in terms of pensions and increasing or improving armed forces continue. >>> thank you both very much indeed. >>> there have been violent clashes between police and protestors at the may day parade in the turkish city. police used water cannons and tear gas as hundreds defied a ban on demonstrations in the taksim square. this is the rallying point for trade unions. last year this was the focus of

many rebels fleeing to the regional capital of donetsk. steve rosenberg has been to slovyansk to see what changed since the government regained control. >> reporter: the road to slovyansk is a reminder there is a war now in europe. pro russian militants had called this town their fortress. but under heavy fire, they have been forced to retreat. in town, the ukrainian flag is back. separatist symbols are being scraped away. but the collective trauma will take longer to erase. after weeks of fighting, there is widespread damage. many here accuse the ukrainian army of indiscriminate shelling. she tells me how she had come under fire and heard explosions nearby. i don't know who was shooting, she says, but my nerves couldn't take this anymore. this was the most feared building in slovyansk, when the insurgents were in control. their headquarters and their prison. they took hostages and locked them in the cellar. some of the prisoners are still missing. >> these are the conditions the prisoners were held in underground, some here for three mont

i believe i can talk to our reporter richard in donetsk. what are rebels saying about possible ceasefire arrangements that might be drawn up? >> reporter: the fighting is continuing in some areas here. literally in the last few minutes we've heard a substantial artillery fire coming from around the airport where the two sides are still fighting each other. in terms of what a the rebel leadership here said about the ceasefire, they said they basically support it. to have the key demand, they're saying they'll stop firing if the ukrainian army pulls out completely from this entire region. now i think that's something which is going to be very difficult for the ukrainian government and military to accept. it's pretty much leaving rebels completely in control of this part of south eastern ukraine. >> what are you hearing from residents from people who are in the middle of all this fighting in donetsk? >> reporter: i think basically talk to anybody here, and they will say we are desperate for this conflict to end as quickly as possible. i don't

what is the situation in donetsk today? >> reporter: so it is peaceful here in donetsk. there were reports the railway headquarters were seized by pro russian groups and they were controlling the rail lines and have stopped movement on the railways. we haven't been able to confirm. that we understand that might not be entirely the full picture. we're trying to find out. certainly suspicion would be the aim would be for pro russian groups here that control the city's administration buildings to send enforcement to sloviansk. we're trying to find out exactly what happened at the railway stations here. the real activity is happening around sloviansk. we heard from nick childs inside the city itself things are calm. troops are not in the city. there's activity around the city early hours this morning. the interior minister talked about the operation that began this morning. we know as a result of that, two ukrainian helicopters were shot down. two ukrainian servicemen were killed. several others according to the interior ministry were injured. that's the situation in terms o

for donetsk, 89%. those are sizable overwhelming figures of support among those that bothered to take part in that vote. how on earth is kiev going to respond to that? we can speak to the ambassador at large for the ukrainian foreign minister. he joins me live from kiev. thank you very much indeed for joining us here on "gmt." overwhelming support for self rule whatever that may be. what do you do next? >> well, for starters, the reason overwhelming support, this is a support among some people who came to the polling stations. there was no verification on the usual printer. the election commission -- i can't imagine anybody seriously calling it referendum. >> obviously the pro russian supporters see it that way. i appreciate your point. what in that case do you do about that? >> well, we should do what we were supposed to do to organize a broad domestic political dialogue that would include the people in question in the eastern parts of ukraine where they should have the possibility to air their grieve

there is fierce fighting still continuing around donetsk. one of two remaining rebel strong holds here in ukraine. despite that, we understand the pro russian rebels along with ukrainian forces have agreed a six mile cease fire zone around that crash site with the intention of getting professional crash investigators onto the ground so that they can go through the wreckage which is strewn over several square miles of country side. let's catch up with the latest developments. this report by denise hammock. >> dozens of recorders packed a room in donetsk to watch the black boxes handed over. rebel leaders signed them over to malaysian officials. >> i can see the black box is intact. >> experts hope the box will give much needed answers about the crash. the aircraft position at the time, the moment it happened, and exactly what caused it. it comes five days after mh 17 came down in part of ukraine controlled by pro russian rebels. yesterday they allowed a refrigerator train carrying the bodies of passengers to be moveed and checked by inspector

it should be said donetsk has come under morter fire previous to this. this seems to be the heaviest fighting so far. it obviously represents an escalation in the fighting but also concern for humanitarian situation. as you say, donetsk is a city that has been surrounded and actually ukrainian forces have cut it off. it's the largest city in the region. it's population of 1 million. although many of those have fled their homes. the question is, if fighting does intensify, how will this affect the civilian population in the city. >> thanks for the update from kiev. >>> tensions between russia and united states over ukraine have reached a new high. sanctions ramped up by both sides over the last month. moscow may now be looking at another way to hit back by targeting the space industry. we look at what it could mean if this long standing collaboration fell apart. >> when neil armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969 it was the pivotal point in the space race. america had beaten soviets to the moon. it was a moment of national pride. rivals soon realized they

it's out here in donetsk. just a few moments ago a military jet flew over the center of the city where we are right now. and it seems to be making a few -- making passes. we've also been hearing, of course, about the very tense and explosive situation in the east from our reporters there. but we've also been receiving reports from western journalists, from western agencies, that they've seen armored carriers, armored military vehicles, that are now flying the russian flag. it's not clear exactly but they think that this is, in fact, ukrainian troops that have gone over to the russian side. difficult to say exactly what the situation is. but there are numerous reports that there is at least one group of armored vehicles that are flying the russian flag. >> what about the warning from president putin in moscow to the united nations and germany that ukraine is now on the brink of civil war? you live there. what's your view? >> reporter: well, we've heard this from the russians before. also i should say, i've hear

the road running north of donetsk through that town, they seem to control that road. what we have seen is the ukra e ukrainian army taking control, they seem be to be tightening control of the city and encircling it. but though they made progress in the last couple of days, taking the city of donetsk is a completely different ball game. it would be a much more are difficult, probably more lengthy process. and i think there will be a much higher human cost for any civilians left in the city when that may happen. but as you say, we have seen civilians within the last day or two, civilian deaths. and though the ukrainian army says it does not target civilian, we have seen civilian areas hit, apartment blocks and civilian killed. >> sanctions from the u.s. and the eu as well. what is the reaction in terms of the economy? looking at the stock market today, it is up a bit. >> the stock market is up a bit. that's largely on the strength of institutions like spare bank, the main russian bank, which didn't get hit by sanctions. and so i think there was relief by people in the

a leading ukrainian commander has been wounded during fighting near linear donetsk region. he's received multiple shrapnel wounds and was evacuated to the hospital. you may have seen him appearing on television and social immediate you. the ukrainian interior minister says his condition is stable. that news coming to us that a ukrainian top commander has been injured. >>> now it's been another night of unrest in ferguson, missouri, the u.s. town where a black teen was shot and killed ten days ago. the police officer in charge of rations says criminals have infiltrated the crowds of pr protestors are intent on violence. johnson says some of those arrested for from as far away as new york and california. he stressed the majority of protestors were peaceful. >> anyone that's been at protests understands there's a dangerous dynamic in the night. it allows a small number of agitators to hide in the crowd and attempt to create chaos. the bottles thrown, molotov cocktails and shots fired. protestors are peaceful and respectful. protestors don't clash with police, don't throw molot

richard reports from the city of donetsk. that's in the heart land of the separatists movement. >> in their apartments here in the city of donetsk, she and her daughter read a book by the famous poet. she is a strong supporter of ukrainian unity. now she fears for the safety of her family. >> even if there's a separate people's republic found here, i will have to leave. i won't be able to speak ukrainian, my native language. my friends are currently selling their houses and moving to western ukraine. people are afraid for their families. freedom is the most important thing for me. >> when the official results of the referendum in donetsk was announced monday by pro russian separatist leaders, their plans became very clear. he declared it was an independent sovereign state. for him, the fears of the ukrainian speaking population seem of little concern. what about the impact on the economy of the declaring independence? this region is ukraine's industrial heart land covered with mines and factories. dating back to soviet need o

the day the first investigators arrived, donetsk saw fresh clashes between militia men and government troops. they have promised full access to the site. forensic examination of plane parts has not started yet. experts fear crucial evidence littering these fields have already been lost. >> tim, in the last hour, we heard from the spokesman of the oc who said large parts of the aircraft have been cut into, specifically he mentioned the tail. this could be quite serious. it doesn't come as a complete surprise. with our own eyes we have seen in the last few days how the parts of the aircraft were pulled up by the cranes, moved from the fields. we never knew where they went. the osc has not yet said parts have been tampered with. if that emerges, it's certain willy a very serious allegation which will influence the investigation and the answers that everyone is waiting for. >> the pro russian rebels, have they withdrawn from the crash site or are they still visible there? >> they are very much visible. the road that leads up to the crash site, it's important to remember it's a very, very

the head of the people's donetsk republic. he's led pro russian act vis in the seize of local administration buildings in donetsk. he is named on this list. if he has assets in the eu, they will be frozen. he'll also have a visa ban. also the staff member of the intelligence unit in the russian armed forces. he was said to be involved on the ground in the city of sloviansk, the most rebellious city. they believe there are people linked to russia in events on the ground in ukraine. western officials have accused russia of orchestrating events in the east of ukraine which is something of course russia has repeatedly denied saying it is a local uprising against the new leaders in kiev who they few as illegitimate. >> duncan, obviously these measures are not as tough as the americans for obvious reasons. we've seen that in last sanctions too. will they make a difference to asset freezes and travel bans on these people that actually hit them? >> it's difficult to know if the people involved on this sanctions list if they really do

they won't let anyone through. >> james reynolds in donetsk. there is a sizable minority who feel very uncomfortable the way things are evolving over the course of the next few weeks. let's talk about what the west and international community can do. we saw the u.n. special envoy came here to simferopol in crimea and of course was taken away by gunmen and driven back to the airport and left very quickly afterwards. a delegation is supposed to come here, the unarmed military observers and supporters. 23 of them travel anything two buses. yesterday they were turned away from the border. they are trying again today. david, we're going to watch that very closely. they're due to arrive in the next hour. >> christian, thank you very much indeed. a fast moving story on "gmt" and on "bbc world news". let's catch up with some of the other stories around the world. a court in malaysia convicted the leader on charges of sod my. it overturns his a quilts on the same charges two years ago. it is punishable by 20 years in prison. his lawyers have already sai

journalists in the ap agency counted 11 bodies at a check point near donetsk. they also see three burned out personnel carriers n. the luhansk region one kill there had and two injured. i have been speaking to the correspondent there. >> earlier this morning there was an attack in the village which hasn't been the center of the recent violence. there was a recent ukrainian check point they put up yesterday. it was attacked by proseparatists militants. several armored personnel carriers were destroyed. large loss of life because of ammunition that exploded during the attack. according to the security chief of ukrainian security national council, there were four attacks overnight at four locations. one is still ongoing. it intensified seriously. as you correctly say, this is all because of the upcoming presidential elections which the separatists vowed to not hold in areas can which they claim under their control. >> yes, indeed. kiev says it insists the elections will go ahead across the hull of the country. those soldier, ukrainian one, there to make sure the b

the heavily armed separatists movement is in ukraine's center of donetsk. using unusually blunt language, secretary of state john kerry accused russia of actively coordinating unrest across eastern ukraine. >> this is a full throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation. russia has put its faith in distractions, deception, destabilization. for seven days, russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction. >> russia's language is equally tough. these are ukrainian troops in the east. moscow says the u.s. is doing nothing to stop kiev mounting raids against pro russian separatists here in the east. russia's foreign minister lavrov's blunt language has matched john kerry's statement. this is what he told a meeting of young diplomats in moscow. mr. lavrov said ukrainians are waging a war on their own people. he called this a bloody crime and those that push the army to do that will pay, he said. i'm sure, and they'll face justice. he added russia is decommitted to deescalating in ukraine b

donetsk is a rebel strong hold. it's emptying fast. to the east in lisix have died. it's been conflicting heavy losses on nearby bases. over the board erder what's bel to be the first fatal say in this town. a woman holds fragments of the shell which she says killed her god father. the victim's mother says the shell hit him with such impact, doors, windows and even the chimney breast were blown off. the russian foreign minute industry has called the shelling an extremely dangerous escalation of tensions between moscow and kiev which could have irreversible consequences for ukraine. kiev denies any involvement. as the russian f president arrives in rio for the world cup final, the spiraling conflict was on his mind. away from this reception for heads of state, he had a private meeting with the german chancellor. they agreed the crisis is getting worse and urged direct talks between kiev and rebels. the british prime minister and u.s. president weren't here but they've been talking to. speaking by phone they agreed russia needs to take further steps towards peace and m

let's take you now to richard who joins me from donetsk. russia's next move will be critical. what's the latest line from moscow? >> reporter: that's interesting. the russian foreign minister has been holding a meeting with delegation in moscow. he also is stressing that moscow wants there to be negotiations. he's saying at the moment the problem lies with the government in kiev. they're not serious about negotiations. he says talks must get underway between the government in kiev and pro russian separatists here in the eastern regions. i think the goal for russia is that there should be a change to the constitution as long as possible so that essentially power is much more involved around the country. regions here in the east would have much more power. as far as russia is concerned, that would mean the ethnic russian population would have better rights. rights would be protected. of course it would mean russia itself, moscow itself would potentially have more influence here in the east and further into ukraine. >> richard, turnout wasn't that high on sunday's vote. with thes

now, we know a lot about what's happening in donetsk. how many other areas are occupied by pro russian organizers? >> reporter: couldn't quite hear your question. donetsk and at least 11 other cities across eastern ukraine remain occupied. buildings in this area remain occupied. in fact yesterday, some more buildings were occupied by the pro russian protestors. another illustration that the geneva agreement that was signed last week isn't really making any difference on the ground at all. i think joe biden's visit will be met with a lot of skepticism on both sides. it's a great show of support for government in kiev. at the same time, ukrainian protestors are saying well, what's taken him so long? many compare the reaction the u.s. had in 2008 war between russia and georgia when the u.s. was more proactive they say. on the other side of this crisis, the pro russian demonstrators see this visit as another illustration of united states meddling in their affairs and their lives. >> what are the ukrainian forces that have been on stand by to