Six killed around Ukraine’s Donetsk airport

Six killed around Ukraine’s Donetsk airport
Sat May 31, 2014 22:53:31

At least six people have been killed after clashes erupted between Ukraine security forces and pro-Russia separatists around Donetsk airport.

Ukrainian separatist leader Denis Pushilin said on Saturday the separatists had been killed while trying to collect the bodies of comrades who had died under Ukrainian army fire earlier this week close to Donetsk airport.

Ukrainian forces regained control of the airport in the east of the country on Monday, killing at least 50 separatists, after a Sunday presidential election which gave billionaire Petro Poroshenko an overwhelming victory.

"They died trying to take back the Ukrainian airport, and our boys were trying to get their bodies out," Pushilin said over the telephone, without giving further details of the violence. He said the six had died during the day on Friday.

Though fighting has died down for now in Donetsk, the stand-off over the city airport remained unresolved on Saturday.

Regional newsagency Interfax cited the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic as saying the separatists will ask the International Red Cross to remove corpses from the airport. It was unclear how many remained.

In Donetsk itself, 2,000 people gathered in the city's central Lenin Square on Saturday, waving Russian flags and chanting "Russia! Russia!" in support of the self-proclaimed republic, which has sought help from Moscow.

RA/MB
 

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