Interfax flash: PUTIN: IN COMPLIANCE WITH MINSK ACCORDS KYIV MUST GUARANTEE ENERGY SUPPLIES OF DONETSK AND LUHANSK
Interfax and other sources say a grenade explosion at a shop in a Donetsk neighborhood killed one person and wounded two others. Here's video circulating of the scene, apparently soon after the blast.
TASS quotes separatists as sayinig that the bodies of four Ukrainian soldiers were retrieved from under the rubble of Donetsk airport, which fell into pro-Russian hands about a month ago after months of fierce battle. "Four [bodies of] servicemen have been retrieved," it quotes the self-styled defense spokesman for the rebel "Donetsk People's Republic," Eduard Basurin, as saying, "It is unclear yet how many of them there will be."
AP noted in its report that the bodies were found by Ukrainian prisoners-of-war in the hands of the pro-Russians.
More, from our newsroom, on the Russian court's dismissal of Ukrainian pilot Savchenko's request for release from pretrial detention:
A Moscow appeals court has rejected hunger-striking Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko's challenge against an extension of her pretrial detention period, upholding a ruling ordered her held until May 13.
The Moscow City Court issued the decision on February 25.
Savchenko was captured by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in June and taken to Russia in July.
Russia has charged her with involvement in a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists in the conflict between government forces and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
In January, Savchenko was additionally charged with illegal border crossing.
Savchenko denies the charges, saying that she was kidnapped on Ukrainian territory and illegally transferred to Russia.
She began a hunger strike on December 13.
Lawyers, relatives, and human rights activists have expressed increasing concern over health.
At the initial custody-extension hearing on February 10, a lawyer voiced concern that Savchenko may not survive until May 13 if she remains behind bars.
Russia has rejected Western calls for her release.
Based on reporting by rapsinews.ru and Interfax
NTV says its reporter Andrei Grigoriev has been detained in Kyiv.
