Russia offers passports to east Ukraine, president-elect decries 'aggressor state'

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to meet French business leaders at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 18, 2019. Alexander Nemenov/Pool via REUTERS

ST PETERSBURG, Russia/KIEV (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order on Wednesday simplifying the procedure for obtaining a Russian passport for residents of separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, prompting calls from Kiev for more international sanctions.

Five years of war between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed forces have killed 13,000 people despite a notional ceasefire signed in 2015.