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Ukraine crisis: Many soldiers die in Donetsk attack | Ukraine crisis: Many soldiers die in Donetsk attack |
(35 minutes later) | |
Ukraine's government has confirmed a deadly attack on troops in the eastern region of Donetsk, with reports saying at least 11 soldiers died. | Ukraine's government has confirmed a deadly attack on troops in the eastern region of Donetsk, with reports saying at least 11 soldiers died. |
Heavily armed "terrorists" attacked a checkpoint in the Volnovakha area, killing or wounding a number of soldiers, the defence ministry said. | Heavily armed "terrorists" attacked a checkpoint in the Volnovakha area, killing or wounding a number of soldiers, the defence ministry said. |
Associated Press journalists counted 11 bodies at the scene while a Russian website said 15 soldiers had died. | Associated Press journalists counted 11 bodies at the scene while a Russian website said 15 soldiers had died. |
Russia appears to be withdrawing troops from its border with Ukraine. | |
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a tweet that Russian troop activity near the Ukraine border suggested some Russian forces were preparing to pull back. | |
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops near the border to withdraw to their bases earlier this week. Correspondents said removing the troops - estimated to number 40,000 - could help de-escalate the Ukraine crisis. | |
Ukrainians go to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president but voting in Donetsk and Luhansk has been seriously disrupted by the insurgency there. | Ukrainians go to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president but voting in Donetsk and Luhansk has been seriously disrupted by the insurgency there. |
The election was called after the last elected President, Viktor Yanukovych, was deposed in February amid mass protests against his pro-Russian policies. | The election was called after the last elected President, Viktor Yanukovych, was deposed in February amid mass protests against his pro-Russian policies. |
Charred vehicles | |
Separatists have been skirmishing with security forces in Donetsk for weeks but this is the deadliest attack on soldiers to date. | |
AP's crew said 30 other soldiers had been wounded in the attack, outside the village of Blahodatne, which is near the town of Volnovakha. | |
Three charred Ukrainian armoured infantry vehicles, their turrets blown away by powerful explosions, and several burned lorries stood at the site of the fighting. | |
Amateur video appeared on Youtube showing what appears to be a glimpse of the attack site from a passing car. | |
The Russian source, pro-Kremlin news website Lifenews, quoted an unnamed police source as saying 15 had been killed and 35 wounded. | |
Both the defence ministry and Ukrainian military journalist Dmytro Tymchu blamed the latest attack on "terrorists" - the term commonly used by Ukrainian officials for armed pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and the neighbouring Luhansk region. | |
But Donetsk rebel leader Pavel Gubarev went on Facebook to deny that separatist forces had attacked the soldiers. |