7 soldiers killed in Ukraine clashes
Iran Press TV
Tue May 13, 2014 8:35PM
Seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and seven more injured during clashes with pro-Russia protesters near the east Ukrainian city of Krematorsk.
According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry the ambush took place in the village of Oktyabrski in the Donetsk region, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Kramatorsk, on Tuesday.
'In all, as a result of the prolonged fighting, six members of the armed forces were killed. Eight soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously,' the ministry said.
The seriously injured soldier died while being taken to hospital, the state security service (SBU) said later in the day.
The attack was carried out by at least 30 pro-Russia protesters armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons. One of the pro-Russian protesters was also killed during the battle.
A number of military vehicles were also destroyed in the battle.
The eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence on May 12 following an independence poll.
According to pro-Russia activists, 90 percent of the voters in Donetsk voted in favor of independence from Ukraine.
Results in Lugansk showed that 96.2 percent of voters supported independence from the central government in Kiev.
The region now plans to ask the United Nations to recognize its independence, also announcing that it will not participate in Ukraine's presidential election.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has slammed the referendums, calling them a "farce without any legal basis."
The Sunday referendums echoed a March vote in Crimea that led to the reunification of the peninsula with the Russian Federation. Nearly 97 percent of participants in Crimea's referendum voted for rejoining Russia.
SRK/AS/MHB
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