A pro-Russian separatist aims a pistol at supporters of the Kiev government during clashes in the streets of Odessa.
Reuters/Slaviansk
Pro-Russian separatists have brought down two Ukrainian military helicopters involved in an operation to try to dislodge the militants from their strongholds in the eastern Ukraine town of Slaviansk.
Eastern Ukraine has been a focus of concern in Western capitals since Moscow annexed mainly Russian Crimea from Ukraine in March.
Separatists said Ukrainian forces killed three of their fighters and two civilians when they moved in on Slaviansk in the early hours in what Moscow called a “criminal” assault.
Kiev said two helicopter crew had died and seven servicemen had been wounded in the operation, which it admitted had not achieved much.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said Ukrainian forces had fired on civilians from the air in Slaviansk in a “punitive operation” that destroyed an international peace plan.
Moscow has tens of thousands of troops massed on the border and claims the right to invade if needed to protect Russian speakers.
The Western-backed government in Kiev said the use of missiles to bring down its helicopters showed Russian forces were in the town. Moscow denies its troops are on the ground.
Ukraine’s acting president also said Russian “armed saboteurs” had tried to enter the country overnight, but were pushed back by Ukrainian border troops. Russia’s Security Service said the report was untrue.
Kiev said Moscow was backing groups in eastern Ukraine who were “putting civilians in danger, seizing hostages and creating an atmosphere of terror and violence”.
Reuters journalists in Slaviansk, the most heavily fortified bastion of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, heard shooting and saw one helicopter opening fire before dawn.
Later in the day, the city was largely quiet, with shops shut and armed separatists in control of the streets.
Advancing Ukrainian forces in armoured vehicles took up positions in the suburbs, but rebels still controlled most of the town of 130,000.
Acting President Oleksandr Turchinov said the operation had been complicated by the rebels’ use of human shields and had not progressed as quickly as had been hoped.
The Ukrainian defence ministry said that the two Mi-24 attack helicopters had been shot down by shoulder-launched missiles while on patrol overnight around Slaviansk.
Two airmen were killed and others wounded.
Other Ukrainian officials and the separatist leader in Slaviansk said earlier that one airman was taken prisoner.
A third helicopter, an Mi-8 transport aircraft, was also hit and a serviceman wounded, the defence ministry said. The SBU security service said this helicopter was carrying medics.