Ukraine sacks Odessa police chief following deaths
Iran Press TV
Sun May 4, 2014 10:46PM GMT
The police chief of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa has been sacked after recent deadly conflicts in the city.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced the dismissal of Odessa's police chief Pyotr Lutsyuk on Sunday after the country's interim president, Oleksandr Turchynov, declared two days of national mourning over the deadly unrest in the city.
On May 2, nearly 70 people were killed and hundreds of others injured after the Ukrainian forces launched a military operation against pro-Russia protesters, who are in control of several eastern cities.
Among those killed there were nearly 40 people, who died in Odessa after a trade union building, where pro-Russia activists had taken shelter, was set ablaze.
Yatsenyuk also said that recent unrest is under investigation.
Turchynov said that "The day of May 2 was a tragic day for Ukraine. I have signed a decree for two days of mourning in Ukraine for the heroes who died in the course of the anti-terrorist operation and also for those who died in the tragic events in Odessa."
Also on Sunday, pro-Russia protesters attacked government buildings in at least two Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council chief Andriy Parubiy, however, said on the same day that the offensive will be extended to every town or city which is under the control of anti-government activists.
Moscow censured Kiev over the deadly incident in Odessa, saying it was "another manifestation of the criminal irresponsibility of the Kiev authorities."
Tensions in Ukraine heightened after Crimea declared independence from Kiev and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum in March.
SRK/MAM/AS
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