A ceasefire between Ukraine and separatist rebels began last night and appears to still be in place following a five-month bloody conflict left more than 2,000 dead.

The Ukrainian government and separatist rebels agreed to a ceasefire amid flickering hopes of peace.

Half a dozen bodies, burned and contorted, were all that was left of the crews of the charred armoured personnel carriers.

Vladimir Putin has boasted to European leaders his forces could sweep into Kiev in two weeks if he wanted.

Swathed in tight security in Newport and nearby Cardiff, Nato's 28 heads of state and government will map the future of their 65-year-old pact.

The crisis in eastern Ukraine and the response to the threat posed by Russia are poised to overshadow a fresh attempt by the European Union to set order in its affairs.

Civilians are the hardest hit from fighting in Donetsk region in Ukraine. Check out these photos from Getty that take you around their city and inside their homes.

Russia's defence secretary has assured his US counterpart that there are no military personnel in its controversial aid convoy for Ukraine, the US says.

The Otaki man who was killed when his Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over the Ukraine has been formally identified.

People should be sceptical of Moscow’s huge aid convoy to eastern Ukraine, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

Nato officials say Russia has massed 20,000 troops in battle-readiness near the border, backed by Spetsnaz commandos, tanks and aircraft.

Dutch and Australian experts have gathered more remains from the crash site of Flight MH17 in east Ukraine.

Reports that land mines have been laid near the MH17 crash site in Ukraine are "utterly despicable", Australia's Foreign Minister says.

Today's memorial service for Malaysia Airlines victim Rob Ayley will be held at the same church where he regularly played the drums.

A Dutch-led investigation team including 11 Australian police officers has had to abandon a plan to visit the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine due to safety concerns.

Vladimir Putin is facing a multimillion-dollar legal action for his alleged role in the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine.

The family of Rob Ayley, who was killed on flight MH17, will hold a private memorial tomorrow while they wait for his body to be returned.

The United States says it has evidence that Russia is planning to deliver "heavier and more powerful" rocket launchers to pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

The Perth-based parents of a woman believed to be an MH17 crash victim are on their way to the Ukrainian crash site, still believing she's alive.

After two tragic incidents within months involving Malaysia Airlines, hundreds of Kiwis have gained refunds for flights with the company.

In the agonising quest to pin down exactly what happened when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 went down over Ukraine last week, Web archivists and other digital sleuths are playing an unusual — potentially pivotal — role.

Ukraine’s security services has released photographs and videos it says show Russian-made BUK-M1 surface-to-air missile systems inside the rebel-held area.

The Dutch military plane that will transport the bodies of those who died on MH17 has landed in the Ukraine city of Kharkiv.

Australian officials are set to start the grim task of identifying the victims of the MH17 crash, backed by a UN Security Council resolution endorsing full international co-operation.