14 soldiers killed as gunship downed in East Ukraine
Iran Press TV
Thu May 29, 2014 1:11PM GMT
At least 14 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed as pro-Russia protesters shot down an army helicopter.
The helicopter was shot down near the eastern Ukrainian town of Slavyansk on Thursday.
Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov says the incident happened as pro-Russia protesters used a man-portable anti-aircraft system to shoot down the helicopter.
Turchynov said General Serhiy Kulchytskiy, head of combat and special training for Ukraine's National Guard, was amongst the dead.
Pro-Russia protesters have confirmed they shot down the gunship.
The development comes as several people reportedly lost their lives in fresh fighting in the eastern Ukrainian region of Lugansk on Wednesday.
According to Ukrainian officials, the clashes broke out when pro-Russia protesters in Lugansk attempted to seize a military unit in the flashpoint region.
Meanwhile, on May 26, at least 35 people were reportedly killed as a truck carrying injured people was hit by a grenade in Ukraine's eastern city of Donetsk.
Donetsk and Lugansk declared independence on May 12 following local referendums in which the regions' residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Kiev.
The referendums followed a similar vote in Crimea in March 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.
Fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine last month after Kiev launched a military offensive against pro-Russia groups that have seized over a dozen towns and declared independence in Donetsk and neighboring Lugansk.
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