SLAVIANSK, April 24 (RIA Novosti) – A gunfight has broken out near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk between unidentified gunmen and forces from the local people’s militia, the activists’ headquarters told RIA Novosti Thursday.
According to the city’s official website, slavgorod.com.ua, two men were killed and an unspecified number were injured.
The city’s hospital confirmed that there “is a serious battle and dead and injured are continuing to arrive.”
Ukrainian authorities launched a special operation to crack down on pro-federalization activists in eastern regions of the country that have been swept by rallies since last month. Protesters 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 held in Crimea last month, which led to the republic's reunification with Russia.
The EU, the US, Russia and Ukraine agreed in Geneva on April 17 on a series of immediate steps aimed at de-escalation of tensions, including the disarmament of irregular militant groups and a wide amnesty for detained protesters.
Just days after the Geneva meeting, a curfew was announced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk after a group of unknown gunmen launched a deadly attack on a checkpoint near the city as people were celebrating Easter.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned that attack as a “provocation,” saying it demonstrated Kiev’s reluctance to disarm nationalists and extremists. On Monday, Foreign Minister Lavrov announced that authorities in Kiev had violated the Geneva accord.
Ukraine's acting President Oleksander Turchinov ordered security forces on Tuesday to resume the special operation in the country’s east, where pro-federalization protests have continued.
