Ukraine names Georgia's Saakashvili as governor of Black Sea hotspot

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (L) hands over an identification card to former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili identifying him as a governor of Odessa region, during his introduction at the regional state administration in Odessa, Ukraine, May 30, 2015. REUTERS/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Mykola Lazarenko/Handout via Reuters

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko has appointed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to be governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region, in a surprise move that is certain to raise hackles in Moscow.

Separately in Ukraine, at least three people were killed in the east where government forces are fighting Russian-backed separatists.