15:01
20.4.2014
The latest casualty figures being reported, this time from Interfax citing the Donetsk Oblast branch of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, says three people from the "People's Republic of Donetsk" were killed and three wounded in today's shoot-out.
The report says the incident occurred at about 2:20 a.m. near the village of Bylbasivka (Bylbasovka), outside Slovyansk. Interfax reports that one of the victims was born in 1957 and another in 1972, describing both as local residents.
Bylbasivka is located about 2 kilometers west of Slovyansk.
Ukrainian authorities have claimed that one person was killed and three injured in an exchange of gunfire.
Russia's Rossiya 24 television channel said five people were killed; three people manning the checkpoint and two of the attackers.
The report says the incident occurred at about 2:20 a.m. near the village of Bylbasivka (Bylbasovka), outside Slovyansk. Interfax reports that one of the victims was born in 1957 and another in 1972, describing both as local residents.
Bylbasivka is located about 2 kilometers west of Slovyansk.
Ukrainian authorities have claimed that one person was killed and three injured in an exchange of gunfire.
Russia's Rossiya 24 television channel said five people were killed; three people manning the checkpoint and two of the attackers.
16:20
20.4.2014
Tire barricades erected by pro-Russian activists in the eastern city of Yenakiyevo not protecting anyone.
16:49
20.4.2014
WaPo's take on my @CNNsotu interview http://t.co/xyE1viTapi
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) April 20, 2014
16:50
20.4.2014
#RightSector spox Artem Skoropadsky tells @5channel #Putin's propaganda leaves #Hitler behind, dismisses claims of involvement in #Slovyansk
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) April 20, 2014
17:13
20.4.2014
My colleagues in eastern #Ukraine say foreign journos blocked from entry to Sloviansk by aggressive pro-Russia militants on town outskirts.
— Douglas Herbert (@dougf24) April 20, 2014
17:42
20.4.2014
Two US senators urge #Obama to impose tougher sanctions on #Russia now; #Ukraine http://t.co/cSQZXpTj5R
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) April 20, 2014
Thanks to @SenBobCorker and @ChrisMurphyCT for your strong focus on #Ukraine http://t.co/mg3Xck4Tsj
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) April 20, 2014
17:50
20.4.2014
...the first answer that comes to my mind is that the Maidan represents love -- an endless and unconditional love for your country. I spoke to many people there, and nobody mentioned any financial gain. People told me about how they stood on the Maidan [Independence Square], how they fought, and how they carried the wounded. Young girls told me about the experience of a lifetime they had -- bandaging the wounded, helping doctors. This was all an act of pure love.
Read the full interview here.
18:03
20.4.2014
The mood certainly darker in #Slavyansk than couple of days ago. Western journalists now unwelcome; Russian TV, by contrast, free to report
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) April 20, 2014
18:19
20.4.2014
18:41
20.4.2014
RFE/RL's news desk has just issued this update on the shoot-out near Slovyansk:
Ukraine and Russia have traded allegations following a deadly clash in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said at least three people were killed and three others injured in the shooting incident at a makeshift checkpoint outside Slovyansk early on April 20.
Russian state-run media reported that five people had died, including three pro-Russian activists.
The identity of the attackers was not immediately clear.
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed "outrage" over the incident, saying it proved that Ukrainian authorities do not wish to disarm "nationalists and extremists."
Pro-Russian authorities in the region presented documents and other materials that they alleged showed that the Ukrainian far-right nationalist group Right Sector was responsible.
Right Sector denied any involvement and instead accused Russian special services.
The Ukrainian Security Service said no Ukrainian organization was involved. It denounced the incident as a “provocation” staged by outsiders.
Local pro-Russian separatist leader Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-declared mayor of Slovyansk, has announced a curfew and appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to send Russian peacekeepers to the region.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said at least three people were killed and three others injured in the shooting incident at a makeshift checkpoint outside Slovyansk early on April 20.
Russian state-run media reported that five people had died, including three pro-Russian activists.
The identity of the attackers was not immediately clear.
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed "outrage" over the incident, saying it proved that Ukrainian authorities do not wish to disarm "nationalists and extremists."
Pro-Russian authorities in the region presented documents and other materials that they alleged showed that the Ukrainian far-right nationalist group Right Sector was responsible.
Right Sector denied any involvement and instead accused Russian special services.
The Ukrainian Security Service said no Ukrainian organization was involved. It denounced the incident as a “provocation” staged by outsiders.
Local pro-Russian separatist leader Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-declared mayor of Slovyansk, has announced a curfew and appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to send Russian peacekeepers to the region.