At Least 5 Killed in Luhansk Clashes

At least 5 people have died and 13 have been wounded during clashes between pro-Russian militants and Ukrainian border guards near the city of Luhansk on Monday.

Some 100 separatist fighters attacked the Ukrainian border guards at around 12:30 am, Kyivpost reported. The exchange of fire went on throughout the night, resulting in 5 pro-Russian fighters killed and 7 Ukrainian servicemen injured. Another 6 rebels were also wounded.

The authorities in Kiev had to send reinforcement around 4:30 am, as the number of rebels propelling rockets and mortar continued to grow.

The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic has declared martial law since last week, in response to Kiev's "anti-terrorist" operations.