The Ukraine government issued a Monday morning deadline for pro-Russia separatists to disarm, saying it will launch a full-scale "anti-terrorist operation after several government buildings were occupied on Saturday.

Ukraine has said it will deploy the army to remove the pro-Russian separatists that occupied police stations and government building in three cities in northern Donetsk on Saturday.

Attempts to retake buildings in Slaviansk on Sunday left one Ukrainian officer dead and a number of others wounded.

The Ukraine government has declared a deadline of 06:00am UTC for the separatists to lay down their arms.

The occupations come after weeks of unrest in areas of eastern Ukraine with large populations of Russian speakers following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.

Russia has an estimated 30,000 to 80,000 troops massed near Russia's eastern border with Ukraine.

An urgent meeting of the UN Security Council called by Moscow is under way in New York in an attempt to solve the growing crisis.

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