Protesters hold fresh rally in Ukraine’s Luhansk

On Monday, around 2,000 people gathered around the city's security headquarters, which was seized by protesters on April 6.

The crowd chanted "Russia" and "Referendum", pushing for a Crimea-style plebiscite on independence from Ukraine.
Some of the protesters carried placards and banners reading, “The future is ours” and “Donetsk will not be put on its knees.”

For weeks, pro-Russian protesters have been occupying key installations in several eastern Ukrainian cities.

Tension has risen in recent days after a deadly clash between protesters and pro-Kiev gunmen, which lead to the death of five people near Ukraine’s eastern city of Slavyansk early on Sunday.

On April 17, Kiev’s interim government together with the United States, Russia and the European Union reached an agreement in Geneva, calling for all sides to "de-escalate" the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine.

However, hours after the signing of the accord, US President Barack Obama warned that Washington is prepared to take further action against Russia in case of a possible failure in the deal.

The West and Russia remain divided over eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian protesters keep occupying key government buildings.

The demonstrators have refused to recognize the recent accord, renewing their calls for a referendum.

Tensions between the Western powers and Moscow heightened after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16.

HK