Arsen Avakov

The spokesman for Ukraine's President has upbraided the country's Interior Minister and the Odessa Governor for a water-throwing and insult-laced clash during a meeting of the National Reform Council.

A massive fire at a Ukrainian fuel depot killed five people today, officials said, including three firemen who went missing after the flames triggered a powerful explosion.

Ukraine urgently evacuated hundreds of residents today from the site of a series of fuel depot blasts near Kiev that set off a ferocious fire and left several people missing and at least one confirmed dead.

Two Ukrainian firemen were missing after a fire they had been battling through the night at a fuel depot outside Kiev triggered a powerful explosion, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said today.

Several Ukrainian firefighters were feared dead today outside Kiev when a ferocious blast tore through a fuel depot, sparking a "gigantic" fire that spread to nearby buildings.

Hundreds of US paratroopers will train Ukrainian soldiers from April 20 as Kiev battles to contain pro-Russian separatists in the country's east, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said today.

The people of Slavyansk would dearly love to believe Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko who promised "everything is going to be fixed up" during a lightning visit to the former bastion of pro-Russian rebels on Wednesday.

Ukrainian government forces reclaimed the port city of Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists in heavy fighting on Friday and said they had regained control of a long stretch of the border with Russia.

France and Germany on Saturday threatened Russia with "consequences" if Moscow disrupts Ukrainian presidential elections this month, stepping up diplomatic pressure on the eve of "illegal" referendums the West fears will split the country apart.

Hundreds of pro-Russian demonstrators stormed police headquarters in Odessa on Sunday and won the release of 67 people detained after deadly clashes in the Ukrainian port city.

Ukraine on Saturday expanded a military operation to seize ground from rebels in the east, following the bloodiest day in the country since the Western-backed government in Kiev came to power.

Ukraine is pressing on with its operation against pro-Russian rebels in the east and has ample military resources to keep up the offensive round the clock, the interior minister said on Friday.

Pro-Russian separatists attacked a base of the Ukrainian national guard in an eastern city overnight and Kiev said three of the militants were killed, bloodshed likely to overshadow crisis talks in Geneva.

Ukraine's acting president accused Russia on Sunday of waging war in his country's separatist eastern rust belt and declared the launch of a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" that left at least two dead.

Kiev said on Sunday that several had been left "dead and wounded" in fighting to oust pro-Russian gunmen holed up in a police station in the restive east, as Washington warned Moscow to de-escalate the crisis or face the consequences.

The spokesman for Ukraine's President has upbraided the country's Interior Minister and the Odessa Governor for a water-throwing and insult-laced clash during a meeting of the National Reform Council.

A massive fire at a Ukrainian fuel depot killed five people today, officials said, including three firemen who went missing after the flames triggered a powerful explosion.

Ukraine urgently evacuated hundreds of residents today from the site of a series of fuel depot blasts near Kiev that set off a ferocious fire and left several people missing and at least one confirmed dead.

Two Ukrainian firemen were missing after a fire they had been battling through the night at a fuel depot outside Kiev triggered a powerful explosion, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said today.

Several Ukrainian firefighters were feared dead today outside Kiev when a ferocious blast tore through a fuel depot, sparking a "gigantic" fire that spread to nearby buildings.

Hundreds of US paratroopers will train Ukrainian soldiers from April 20 as Kiev battles to contain pro-Russian separatists in the country's east, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said today.

The people of Slavyansk would dearly love to believe Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko who promised "everything is going to be fixed up" during a lightning visit to the former bastion of pro-Russian rebels on Wednesday.

Ukrainian government forces reclaimed the port city of Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists in heavy fighting on Friday and said they had regained control of a long stretch of the border with Russia.

France and Germany on Saturday threatened Russia with "consequences" if Moscow disrupts Ukrainian presidential elections this month, stepping up diplomatic pressure on the eve of "illegal" referendums the West fears will split the country apart.

Hundreds of pro-Russian demonstrators stormed police headquarters in Odessa on Sunday and won the release of 67 people detained after deadly clashes in the Ukrainian port city.

Ukraine on Saturday expanded a military operation to seize ground from rebels in the east, following the bloodiest day in the country since the Western-backed government in Kiev came to power.

Ukraine is pressing on with its operation against pro-Russian rebels in the east and has ample military resources to keep up the offensive round the clock, the interior minister said on Friday.

Pro-Russian separatists attacked a base of the Ukrainian national guard in an eastern city overnight and Kiev said three of the militants were killed, bloodshed likely to overshadow crisis talks in Geneva.

Ukraine's acting president accused Russia on Sunday of waging war in his country's separatist eastern rust belt and declared the launch of a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" that left at least two dead.

Kiev said on Sunday that several had been left "dead and wounded" in fighting to oust pro-Russian gunmen holed up in a police station in the restive east, as Washington warned Moscow to de-escalate the crisis or face the consequences.