VIENNA, Muharram 11, 1436, November 04, 2014, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon criticised on Tuesday the holding of separatist elections in eastern Ukraine at the weekend as "unfortunate and counterproductive," Reuters reported. Pro-Russian rebels elected their own leadership on Sunday in a vote denounced by Kiev and the West, further deepening a standoff with Russia over the future of the former Soviet state. Ban, addressing the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said the situation in Ukraine remained a matter of deep concern. The 57-nation OSCE groups Russia, the United States and Ukraine among its members. --SPA 14:36 LOCAL TIME 11:36 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w