Prorussian separatist
Rebels pound Ukrainian troops after peace talks fail
Over 5,000 lives have so far been claimed in the conflict.
Relations between the two have deteriorated since the overthrow of a Moscow-backed president.
The attack underlines the fragile security in Chechnya more than a decade after troops were deployed.
Russia backs the separatists but denies it is directly involved in conflict in the Donbass region.
Russia denied any involvement in an escalation of the separatist war in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine has accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military accused Russia on Friday of sending a column of 32 tanks to support separatists.
The past four days have seen the rebels stage elections for leadership which the government called illegal.
Separatist leaders accused Petro Poroshenko of suspending a law giving their regions “special status”.
Sergei Lavrov said the pending vote would be important from the point of view of legitimising power.
Patriarch Kirill was presented with a single-seater fighter jet SU-35.
Russia says weaponry from NATO states will abet war crimes in Ukraine and worsen the situation.
Petro Poroshenko told a televised meeting of the government a ceasefire was proving difficult to maintain.
Washington and Moscow have questioned each other’s commitment to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.
The breakthrough came after a week in which the pro-Moscow separatists scored major victories.
The Russian President said he believed Kiev and pro-Russian separatists could come to an agreement.
Putin’s spokesman said the leaders agreed on steps towards peace but not a ceasefire in the conflict.
There was no immediate sign on the ground of a halt in the fighting between Kiev’s forces and separatists.
In footage posted on Facebook, the men were shown dressed in camouflage fatigues.