Hundreds of pro-Russia rebels armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades mounted a daylong assault Monday on a Ukrainian base used to coordinate the defense of the country's border with Russia.
Border guards killed at least five rebels in repelling the attack on their base, a spokesman for the border guard service said.
In the center of Luhansk, about six miles away, a blast at an administrative building held by the insurgents claimed more lives. A health official for the Luhansk region said at least seven people had been confirmed dead in what rebels described as a government air strike. The government said the blast was caused by misdirected rebel fire from a surface-to-air missile launcher. - AP