ABC US News | ABC Business News
Two Ukrainian helicopters were shot down Friday as Ukraine launched its first major offensive against the pro-Russia forces that have seized government buildings in the east. The Kremlin said Kiev's move against the insurgents "destroyed" hopes for peace in the region.
Fighting broke out around dawn near Slovyansk, a city 160 kilometers
(100 miles) from the Russian border that has become the focus of the
armed insurgency against Ukraine's interim government. Two helicopter
crew were killed in the crashes, both sides said, and a pro-Russia
militiaman was reported killed.
One of the helicopters was hit by a surface-to-air missile, the
Ukrainian Security Service said, adding that the sophisticated weapon
undercut Russia's claims the city was simply under the control of armed
locals. The agency said its forces were fighting "highly skilled foreign
military men" in Slovyansk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said the offensive
"effectively destroyed the last hope for the implementation of the
Geneva agreements" that aimed to defuse the crisis. A day earlier Putin
warned Ukraine not to move against the insurgents and said it should
withdraw its military from eastern and southern regions.
Ukraine, a nation of 46 million, is deeply divided between those in the
west who favor closer ties with Europe and many Russian-speakers in the
east who look toward Moscow.
Ukraine has accused Russia of backing the insurgents who have seized
government buildings in 10 eastern cities and fears that Moscow is
seeking a pretext to invade; Russia has already stationed tens of
thousands of troops in areas near the Ukrainian border.
Russian troops backed separatists in Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of
Crimea in March, then annexed the region after a referendum called for
secession.
No comments:
Post a Comment