SLAVIANSK (Donetsk Region), April 15 (RIA Novosti) - At least four protesters were killed and two other wounded on Tuesday as the Ukrainian troops stormed an airfield in Ukraine's eastern city of Kramatorsk, a spokesman for local People's Militia told RIA Novosti.
"There are four dead and two wounded at the airfield. They are all militia," the source said, adding that no casualties among the government troops had been reported.
"The fighting for the airfield is over as the militia has reterated and the Ukrainian side took control of the airfield," he said.
Eastern Ukraine has been swept by pro-federalisation rallies since March.
Federalization supporters in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government and are urging interim authorities to hold referendums similar to the one that has been held in Crimea in March and led to its reunification with Russia.
In an effort to suppress the protesters Ukraine's parliamentary speaker and acting President Olexander Turchynov ordered Monday a special anti-terrorist operation in the country’s east, involving the use of armed forces.
