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| Europe |
| Clashes between Ukrainian forces, rebels continue in Donetsk |
| 2014-08-06 |
| [ABC.NET.AU] Ukrainian forces are continuing to clash with rebels in eastern Ukraine as they push into regional capital Donetsk. There are reports of shells hitting one district in the city, which has been under rebel control for months, and fighting in other areas. Powerful blasts and small arms fire have been heard across the city and electricity has been cut in some areas. Ukraine's military said government forces had clashed 26 times with separatists in the Russian-speaking east in the 24 hours up to Tuesday morning, while fighter jets had struck at rebel positions and concentrations of military equipment. But it acknowledged that separatist forces had pushed it out of Yasynuvata, a railway junction near Donetsk that it seized from separatists on Sunday. On Monday, Russia announced new military exercises including bombers and fighter jets near the border with Ukraine, a move that Kiev said was provocative. Defence officials said separatists had also opened fire on unarmed Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday as they crossed back into Ukraine from Russia, where they had taken shelter from fighting. A military front man said there had been no casualties from the attack, though he said three Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 46 maimed in action against the separatists in the past 24 hours. Government troops have been battling the rebels since April in a war in the Russian-speaking east in which the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... High Commissioner for Human Rights says more than 1,100 people - including government forces, rebels and civilians - have died. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of orchestrating the revolt and arming the rebels — something denied by Moscow. Fighting has intensified since the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last month, killing all 298 people on board - an act the West laid at the door of the rebels. The search for human remains and belongings from the downed aircraft continued with little disruption, in contrast to the fighting that stopped operations yesterday. The Australian contingent was based in Donetsk until a few days ago, and Malaysian Sherlocks still use the city. |
| Posted by:Fred |