Popasna

Major General Kanamat Botashev has become the highest-ranking Russian pilot to be killed in the skies over Ukraine, the BBC's Russian service reportedTuesday.

Back in December 2014, Serhiy Shulakov was busy fixing cars in his company's auto-service yard in the eastern Ukrainian town of Popasna when he saw a hand reaching over the fence.

The hand that was trying to unlock the gate belonged to a member of the Ukrainian Security Service, the SBU.

Two civilians were killed by rebel rocket fire shortly after the start of a ceasefire in east Ukraine on Feb 15., a pro-Kyiv official said, but fighting reportedly died down across most of the conflict zone.