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At Least 18 Dead in Kiev's Attack on Eastern City of Krasnyi Lyman – Self-Defense

RIA Novosti

14:02 04/06/2014

MOSCOW, June 4 (RIA Novosti) – At least ten civilians, eight self-defense troops died in the fighting near Ukraine's eastern city of Krasnyi Lyman, independence supporters said Wednesday.

"The battle for Krasnyi Lyman left ten civilians and eight self-defense troops dead," they told RIA Novosti.

Several buildings were damaged, including residential houses and a hospital.

Independence supporters refuted the Special Forces' claim that they had cleared the north of the Donetsk region.

"We have lost two check points in the yesterday's battles and one our small group had to retreat from Krasnyi Lyman. But Kiev's claims on 'the completely cleaned up north of the Donetsk region' are obviously exaggerated," a representative for self-defense forces headquarters said.

Intense fighting broke out Tuesday in the Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as pro-Kiev forces stormed the cities of Slaviansk and Krasnyi Lyman.

Ukraine's Special Forces said that the fights near Slaviansk and Krasnyi Lyman killed 300 and injured 500 self-defense officers.

The Special Forces claimed also they had cleared the north of the Donetsk region of self-defense entirely and blocked Luhansk's eastern and northern borders.

Starting from mid-April, Kiev authorities have been conducting a special military operation in the east of Ukraine to suppress the pro-independence movement. The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics proclaimed independence from Ukraine after May 11 referendums.

On Monday afternoon the Ukrainian Air Force carried out an airstrike on the administration building of Luhansk. According to Luhansk People's Republic cluster bombs banned by the international convention were used in the attack. At least five people are thought to have been killed and dozens injured in an airstrike.

The same day Russia circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution urging to stop violence in the east of Ukraine and set up humanitarian corridors to allow the civilians to leave the territory of the military operation.