You're reading: Luhansk governor threatens to close last civilian checkpoint into occupied territory as elderly couple killed

An elderly couple has been killed by shelling in Luhansk Oblast, as regional Gov. Hennadiy Moskal threatens to close the last remaining road into occupied territories if the violence continues.

The pair, aged 64 and 67, came under mortar fire while driving along the border between Ukrainian-controlled Luhansk and occupied territory, a statement on Moskal’s website said on June 3. Moskal blamed the incident on “a diversionist group of militants, who periodically make their way deep into Ukrainian territory.”

The killing of civilians comes one day after Moskal threatened to shut down the last remaining checkpoint into occupied territory, a move that would completely cut civilians off from the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast.

If the last road is closed off, the only way into separatist territory would be from Russia.

Yaroslav Galas, Moskal’s spokesman, told the Kyiv Post that a final decision on closing the checkpoint had not yet been made, and the matter would be discussed in light of the latest shelling.

“Moskal said we’d close it down if the shelling continued, and it did. Just this morning two more people were killed by separatist shelling,” Galas said. “But we still haven’t officially made the decision and there is no timeframe yet for when this would happen.”

Earlier, Moskal slammed the separatists for targeting an area frequented by innocent civilians.

“There are no strategic military objects here that are worth shelling, although bicyclists and pedestrians are constantly moving in both directions, as well as transportation of international humanitarian aid organizations. The separatists know this perfect well, and they continue to fire anyway. Over the last week, four of our soldiers were wounded at this checkpoint, and another soldier was fatally wounded,” he wrote. “I would like to warn those who stand with weapons on the occupied side (of Luhansk) – if the shelling doesn’t stop, the last checkpoint into the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic will be closed in the near future,” Moskal wrote.

Ukrainian authorities in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk have increasingly expressed frustration with problems caused at checkpoints into occupied territory. Last week, a bus company offering trips from Kyiv to Donetsk and back was found to be transporting narcotics, prompting some to call for a complete blockade of occupied territories.

More than 6,400 people have been killed and 2.1 million displaced since mid-April 2014 when the armed combined Russian-separatist uprising started in eastern Ukraine, according to the latest United Nations report.