HORLIVKA, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - Self-defense forces in eastern Ukraine have blasted a pedestrian bridge in the city of Horlivka in Donetsk Region in an attempt to stop the offensive of the Kiev Army, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported in the early hours of Wednesday.
The bridge was connecting the central part of the city with its northern areas. A highway bridge runs parallel to the pedestrian one and will be blasted if needed.
Horlivka is a large industrial center located in about 35 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Donetsk. The city's population is 360,000 people.
Kiev has been leading a military operation in southeastern Ukraine since mid-April, trying to suppress protests by independence supporters in the region who have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new government. The fighting intensified after Donetsk and Luhansk regions proclaimed themselves independent people’s republics. Hundreds of people, including civilians have died in both regions over the past months.
Moscow has described the ongoing military action as a punitive operation and has repeatedly called on Kiev to put an immediate end to the bloodshed. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has also urged the international community to intervene and investigate the crimes against humanity that occurred in Ukraine in recent months.
