Pro-Russian separatists take over long contested Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have completely taken over the long contested and devastated Donetsk airport shattering hopes for any peace agreement.

According to Mashable, military authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said in a statement that now they could speak about "control over the territory of Donetsk airport and its surroundings".

One separatist leader said that it was the beginning of a new phase that would eliminate Ukrainian forces out of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's security council warned of a "continental war" in the region if there occurs a return to full-scale conflict in the war-stricken east.

However, the Ukrainian military denied that it had lost control of the airport saying that the rebels "unsuccessfully tried to knock out the Ukrainian military".

More than 1,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since its signing and 5,000 have been dead since April when the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists began.