Ukraine loses Donetsk airport

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry says it has withdrawn its troops from the main terminal of Donetsk airport

The defence ministry has said that the military has kept control of some areas of the airport where harsh fighting has been underway for the last few weeks. Six soldiers are believed to be dead and sixteen have been injured.  Although the airport is no longer in use, it has taken on symbolic significance, and its loss is a heavy blow for the Ukranian military.

In the meantime, a bus was hit by shelling in central Donetsk, leaving thirteen people dead. The defence ministry blamed separatists for the shelling of the bus, saying their own forces were 15km (9 miles) away.

However Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukrainian forces were to blame for what he called a "monstrous new crime" and a "coarse provocation".

The deaths come after Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany issued a joint call to end fighting in the east.  

Fighting between the Ukranian army and Russian-backed separatists has recently worsened in and around Donetsk, which is under rebels’ control.