Poroshenko asked to declare state of emergency in eastern regions, deploy army units along border with Russia
6 June 2014, 15:15 -- The so-called public headquarters of the Ukrainian National Guard has called on President-elect Petr Poroshenko to immediately shut down the border with Russia and declare a state of emergency in the country's eastern regions.
The chief of the National Guard's public headquarters, Vlodimir Volkov, said at a press conference in Kiev on Friday that Poroshenko had been asked to deploy Ukrainian Armed Forces units along the border with Russia and order the National Guard to 'carry out a full-fledged effective military operation using the Armed Forces, the National Guard and volunteers in all areas with high concentrations of militia fighters.
Ukrainian forces using tanks to attack Slavyansk
Ukrainian forces are using for the first time in the framework of the special operation the tanks to attack the eastern city of Slavyansk, a source in the headquarters of the independence supporters told RIA Novosti Friday. "Tanks are currently attacking Slavyansk in two directions," the source said.
Ukraine armed forces resume artillery strikes against Semyonvka village near Slavyansk
Slavyansk militiamen reported on Friday that fierce fighting had resumed in the village of Semyonovka. 'At the moment, intense artillery strikes are being carried out against roadblocks near Semyonovka. The Vostochny neighborhood has come under fire as well. The Ukrainian army is not currently using combat aircraft, but fierce fighting continues,' a local militia headquarters spokesman told Interfax.
Nearly all civilians have already fled the fighting in Semyonovka, where almost all houses have been damaged by artillery strikes, he said. It is not yet known whether any militiamen have been injured in the events.
One Ukrainian Air Force helicopter shot down by Slavyansk militia
Representatives of the people's militia of the city of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine's embattled Donetsk Region have shot down a helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force, the Novorossiya news agency quoted the militia command as saying. The Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter was damaged by bullet fire and performed an emergency landing on Thursday, TASS news agency reports.
Slavyansk people's mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said that at least two helicopters were shot during the battle.
'It happened to the east of Slavyansk,' he specified, adding that according to preliminary data, three tanks were also damaged.
Fierce clashes between Ukrainian military and militia near Slavyansk have been ongoing since June 3. Ukraine's armed forces use attack aviation - fighters and helicopters.
According to Ponomaryov, during fighting on June 3, militiamen shot down two aircraft, including a Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) attack aircraft, a Ukrainian Air Force helicopter, and damaged four armored vehicles. Another helicopter was shot down on June 4 after a regular air strike on the settlement of Semyonovka near Slavyansk.
Militias were formed in Ukraine's southeastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions because the territories refused to recognize the legitimacy of central Ukrainian authorities brought to power amid riots during a coup in February.
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