A feamle veteran (C) sings during 'Victory Day' celebrations in Donetsk, Ukraine, 09 May 2014. People of former USSR countries annually on 09 May celebrate the 69th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Two eastern Ukrainian provinces will go ahead with a referendum on seceding from the country as planned this weekend despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for a delay, separatist leaders told Russia's Interfax news agency on 08 May. 'The referendum on May 11 will take place,' said Miroslav Rudenko, a separatist leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. The secession referendum will let the 3 million residents of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk vote on whether they want to stay part of Ukraine. Ukrainians opposed to a split see it as a precursor to an eventual merger with Russia, as happened with Crimea in March. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
A protester carries tyres to start another fire for warming up as they have a temporary truce with riot police during an anti-government protest as in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 23 January 2014. At least two people died of gunshot wounds on 22 January during anti-government protests in Ukraine, prosecutors said. A demonstrator also reportedly fell to his death after being chased by police. The violent protests have been raging in the Ukrainian capital since 19 January. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
A covered dead body near the Mariupol police station, Ukraine, 09 May 2014. Two eastern Ukrainian provinces will go ahead with a referendum on seceding from the country as planned this weekend despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for a delay, separatist leaders told Russia's Interfax news agency on 08 May. 'The referendum on May 11 will take place,' said Miroslav Rudenko, a separatist leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. The secession referendum will let the three million residents of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk vote on whether they want to stay part of Ukraine. Ukrainians opposed to a split see it as a precursor to an eventual merger with Russia, as happened with Crimea in March. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Ukrainian protesters clash with riot police near of the Cabinet of Ministers building during a mass protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 24 November 2013. About one hundred thousand Ukrainian protesters gathered in Kiev to protest against the Ukrainian Government's decision to halt preparations for a landmark association agreement. 'The door remains open,' the EU's top official for neighbourhood relations, Commissioner Stefan Fule, told reporters in Brussels. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
A relative of Alexey Vorobyov, a man killed during deadly clashes in Mariupol on 09 May, mourn during his funeral ceremony in Mariupol, Ukraine, 12 May 2014. Residents of Mariupol voted on 11 May in an independence referendum that was organized by pro-Russian separatists and rejected by the government in Kiev. Russian-speakers and supporters of Moscow have been rallying in the region since March, when a referendum on independence led to Russia's annexation of Crimea. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Riot police officers stand in line during on-going protests on Independence Square in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 19 February 2014. Twenty-five people were killed and 351 injured during violent clashes on 18 February, the Health Ministry said, as on-going protests, which began in November after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych backed away from a trade agreement with the EU in favour of a 15-billion-dollar loan from Russia, continued. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
A protester throws a Molotov cocktail during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 22 January 2014. According to media reports, two men were shot dead 22 January as anti-government protests escalated in Ukraine, causing central Kiev to resemble a war zone with protesters and riot police battling on and off while smoke from burning tyres and firebombs blackened the sky. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Radical protesters clash with riot poilce forces during a protest in Kiev, Ukraine, 19 January 2014. Violence broke out 19 January at anti-government protests as hundreds of opposition supporters armed with clubs tried to break through a police blockade and storm the Ukrainian parliament. The demonstrations took on a sharper tone after last week's passage of new laws that protesters and human rights groups said are designed to stifle dissent. They criminalize libel, establish new penalties for unlawful protests and make it easier to strip legislators of their immunity. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
A woman cries inside the Trade Union building as people are let inside, in the South-Ukrainian city of Odessa, Ukraine, 04 May 2014. At least 31 people died in a fire that broke out during clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protesters at the Trade Union building in Odessa. Apart from the fire death toll, the fighting left at four people dead and 40 injured, police said. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Riot police detains a protester during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 18 February 2014. A least three protesters were killed in clashes with police on 18 February, Ukrainian opposition activists say. Violence erupted in the Ukrainian capital after anti-government protesters broke through a police cordon in front of parliament. Protester marched toward the parliament to demand constitutional reforms that would curb the powers of President Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine has been mired in political crisis since November after the government backed away from a trade agreement with the European Union and signed a 15-billion-dollar loan deal with Russia instead. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Line of riot police stands behind the burnt bus, covered in ice, during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 23 January 2014. At least two people died of gunshot wounds on 22 January during anti-government protests in Ukraine, prosecutors said. A demonstrator also reportedly fell to his death after being chased by police. The violent protests have been raging in the Ukrainian capital since 19 January. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Ukrainian riot police attack protesters during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 22 January 2014. Two protesters have died during violent clashes with police in Kiev, Ukrainian opposition activists said 22 January 2014. The police have confirmed only one death so far. Forensic experts are examining the body of a dead man who was lying at a first aid location set up by the protesters, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
Protesters sit on the roof of a burnt-out bus during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 25 January 2014. Ukraine has been convulsed by protests led by pro-European activists incensed that President Viktor Yanukovych opted against an association agreement with the European Union in November, choosing closer relations with Russia instead. According to media reports on 25 January, more fighting was reported overnight in Kiev, with demonstrators throwing rocks and flaming objects at security forces. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN
A protester smokes a cigarette and talks on his mobile phone during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 25 January 2014. Ukraine has been convulsed by protests led by pro-European activists incensed that President Viktor Yanukovych opted against an association agreement with the European Union in November, choosing closer relations with Russia instead. According to media reports on 25 January, more fighting was reported overnight in Kiev, with demonstrators throwing rocks and flaming objects at security forces. EPA/ALEXEY FURMAN