Pro-Russians say entered Ukraine strategic city of Mariupol
Iran Press TV
Fri Sep 5, 2014 1:35PM GMT
Pro-Russia forces have reportedly entered the strategic port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine as peace talks get under way in Minsk
"The army of the DNR (Donetsk People's Republic) has partly entered Mariupol. But the city is not taken," a spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said.
But Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, rejected the DNR's remarks, saying, "(This claim) is not true. We have even driven them back from the positions they held before."
Mariupol has become a major cause of concern for Ukraine as the pro-Russians continue to expand their main strongholds further north.
The conflicting accounts about Mariupol come against the backdrop of ceasefire talks between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, pro-Russia forces and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Minsk.
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 protests.
Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions of Donetsk and Lugansk held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
Western powers and the Kiev government accuse Moscow of having a hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, but Russia denies the accusation.
KA/HSN/SS
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