Ukraine: Shelling Kills Teens On School Field

Two teenagers have been killed by shelling while playing on a school field in the rebel-held city of Donetsk in Ukraine.

Three others were wounded, officials have said.

It reportedly happened less than two miles from Donetsk airport, where separatists are trying to seize control despite a ceasefire agreed on 5 September.

A Donetsk city council statement said: "As a result of a missile strike from the conflict zone two teenagers were killed and a further three were injured on a school sports field."

AFP has reported that the teenagers were playing football when they were struck.

The deaths came as Vladimir Putin expressed concern that the ceasefire had failed to end a civil war that has killed more than 4,000 people - mainly civilians - since February.

"Despite the Minsk agreements, firing on peaceful cities continues and civilians are still dying," the Russian President is quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

The Ukrainian leadership and pro-Russian separatists blame each other for truce violations.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stressed there are no immediate plans to reverse EU sanctions against Russia for its alleged role in the crisis.

"We would like to lift the sanctions but that is not the situation as I see it," she said.

Mrs Merkel also believes the West should consider adding Ukraine's rebel leaders to sanction lists after they staged disputed elections on Sunday.

"We should take another look at possibly listing certain people who are now in charge in eastern Ukraine after these illegitimate elections," she said

Ukraine's Prime Minister announced on Wednesday a freeze in subsidies for eastern territories controlled by rebels following the elections.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said $2.6bn (£1.6bn) would be held back from separatist areas in Donetsk and Luhansk.

The move is likely to worsen the already desperate economic conditions in the regions.