Ukraine army fights separatists in Slovyansk

Fighting raged in eastern Ukraine yesterday as the army rolled out an offensive against pro-Russia separatists holding the city of Slovyansk, with dead and wounded on both sides, the Ukrainian government said.

Rebels in the town, a fierce separatist stronghold where a military helicopter was shot down last week killing 14 servicemen, said they had brought down a Su-25 attack aircraft and a helicopter, but this was denied by Ukrainian authorities.

Military operation

Twelve hours after Kiev’s forces launched an overnight military operation in and around Slovyansk,

Vladyslav Seleznyov

, a spokesman for the Ukrainians, said: “Today we have had two killed and 42 wounded.”

He put the number of dead and wounded on the separatists side at about 300. This figure could not be independently confirmed. “Fighting is continuing,” he said.

President-elect Petro Poroshenko called for a resumption of military operations by government forces to quell rebellions by pro-Russian militia across the Russian-speaking east after scoring a resounding election victory on May 25th.

The Kiev government says the fighting is fomented by Moscow, which opposes its pro-western course, and accuses Russia of letting volunteer fighters cross into Ukraine to fight alongside the rebels. Moscow denies this and is urging Ukraine to end military operations and open dialogue with the separatists.

Ukraine formally announced yesterday that a total of 181 people had been killed “by terrorist activity” including 59 servicemen since hostilities broke out in April.

Since the government forces resumed their push against the rebels, there have been clashes in and around the main industrial hub of Donetsk and near the border town of Luhansk with loss of life on both sides.

But it is unclear as to whether the Ukrainian military, backed up by attack aircraft, is making real progress against the rebels who are occupying strategic points in densely-populated cities.

Tensions

With violence continuing in Ukraine’s east and tension high between Ukraine and Russia, the crisis is certain to dominate diplomatic exchanges when the newly elected Poroshenko meets world leaders this week ahead of his inauguration next Saturday.

He is expected to meet US president Barack Obama and other European leaders in Warsaw on Wednesday and will see Russia's Vladimir Putin at second World War D-day celebrations in France on Friday, though no formal talks are planned.

The fighting in Slovyansk followed a day-long fire-fight on Monday in Luhansk, a town further to the east on the border with Russia, after an attack by separatists on a border guard camp.

At least two people were killed in the city centre of Luhansk. – (Reuters)