Russia Urges Halt to Military Operations in Donetsk, 100 Dead

Local Editor

Russia urged the Ukrainian government to halt its military operations in the city of Donetsk amid reports of civilian casualties during a full-scale assault on pro-Russian protesters on Monday.

According to the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Aleksandr Boroday, more than 50 self-defense fighters and as many civilians have been killed since Ukrainian troops stepped up their offensive in the region on Monday.

He said the significant number of casualties could be explained by extensive use of air force by the Ukrainian military.
Moreover, Chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Supreme council, Denis Pushilin, also estimated that around 100 people might have been killed by Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement urging the Kiev government to stop what Moscow calls Ukraine's military operations against its own people.
The Russian ministry also called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE] to investigate the fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian activists in Donetsk.

The government in Kiev has been staging military operations since mid-April in the eastern and southern regions in a bid to root out pro-Moscow demonstrations.
Moscow's statement came after intense fighting broke out in Donetsk on Monday, with government air and ground forces attacking pro-Russian activists' positions. The Ukrainian forces targeted the Sergei Prokofiev Airport with military air assaults after it was seized by armed men who identified themselves as representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

On Monday, an assault caused a truck marked as an ambulance and carrying injured people to be hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing at least 35 people. Ukrainian forces also targeted the city's train station, killing at least one. In addition, the military attacked residential areas in the city of Slavyansk using helicopter gunships, killing at least two people.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team