Seven European OSCE inspectors were freed on Saturday in a flashpoint town in east Ukraine.

Seven European OSCE inspectors were freed on Saturday in a flashpoint town in east Ukraine.

The European inspectors, who had been held in Slavyansk for over a week, were freed shortly after a Kremlin envoy arrived in east Ukraine. They were unable to leave the town immediately, however, because of the fighting.

Vladimir Lukin, Russia's human rights commissioner, on Saturday told Russian media that he had secured the release of all the people on a list he had.

"This was a goodwill humanitarian act and we are very grateful to the masters of the city," Lukin was quoted as saying.

He said there was no exchange involved, but he hoped it would result in "the cessation of gunfights" around the town.

Russia on Friday called an emergency UN Security Council meeting in which it laid the blame for Ukraine's unrest on Kiev, which is run by a Western-backed government it deems illegitimate.

The release took place after a bloody day in which more than 50 people died as the Ukrainian army launches an offensive against separatist activists.