KIEV: Ukraine authorities on Saturday banned flights to the rebel-held east of the former Soviet republic, the head of Ukraine’s aviation authority said.

“Flights are banned for Russian companies to Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk for safety reasons,” Denis Antoniuk told AFP without elaborating.

The two cities serve the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.

The open-ended ban also affects a Ukrainian airline, Dniproavia, Antoniuk said.

The Lugansk airport has been gutted by fighting between separatists and Kiev forces, while combat continues over the Donetsk facility. — AFP