LUGANSK, June 29, /ITAR-TASS/. Hundreds of people gathers on Sunday in the centre of Ukraine’s southeastern city of Lugansk for an anti-war rally and demanded the Kiev authorities stop combat operations against their own people.

The rally was addressed by head of the newly proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic Valery Bolotov, speaker of parliament of the Union of People’s Republics [of Donetsk and Lugansk] Olge Tsarev, local administration officials and lawmakers.

The Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics “have become a thorn in the flesh for international imperialism and their henchmen in Kiev,” Bolotov said. “Today, we are holding the front, but tomorrow we will throw the invaders out.”

Practically at the same time, a rally was held in Kiev, near the administration of the Ukrainian president that demanded resuming the force operation in the southeastern regions.

Kiev’s unilaterally-proclaimed seven-day ceasefire regime expired at 23:00 Moscow time on Friday, June 27. President Pyotr Poroshenko extended it till 22:00 local time (23:00 Moscow time) on Monday, June 30.

Also on June 27, a second round of consultation of the so-called three-party group on the settlement in the southeastern region was held in Donetsk.