Pro-Russian gunmen early on Monday opened fire on a column of refugees in the settlements of Khriaschuvate and Novosvitlivka (Luhansk region), anti-terrorist operation (ATO) press officer Leonid Matiukhin has said.

"We confirm the shelling. The number of fatalities is being determined," he said.

Earlier, the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper, citing the head of the press center of the Pivnich (North) operational command, Anatoliy Proshyn, reported that at about 0940, during the evacuation of refugees from the settlements of Khriaschuvate and Novosvitlivka, militants had delivered a massive fire strike against this column with mortars and Grad multiple rocket launchers.

"As a result, there are many casualties. People burned right in the cars in which they were being evacuated. People were simply unable to get out of the vehicles in which they were being evacuated," Proshyn said.