Ukraine forces surround Donetsk in east: Commander
Iran Press TV
Sat Aug 9, 2014 1:15PM GMT
A top commander of pro-Russian activists says Ukrainian forces have surrounded the city of Donetsk in the country's restive eastern region.
Former Russian special service officer, Igor Girkin, said Saturday that a group of fighters in Donetsk is completely surrounded.
Girkin added that the town of Krasnyi Luch, which lies on one of the two main roads between Donetsk and the city of Lugansk, has been taken by the Ukrainian army.
The Kiev government has recently stepped up its operations around Donetsk and Ukraine's second largest city of Lugansk.
Spokesman of the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Lysenko, has not confirmed the claim.
Lysenko, however, said fighting with pro-Russian separatists in east of the country has left 13 troops dead during the past 24 hours.
'Over the past day, 13 of our guys were killed" during clashes with pro-Russian forces, Lysenko added on Saturday.
Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests.
According to the United Nations, about 1,400 people have been killed in the military operations.
The ongoing violence has also forced thousands of civilians to abandon their homes.
AR/KA/SS
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