Fighting in Eastern Ukraine Kills 34 — Update
By Olga Razumovskaya
Ukraine’s Interior Minister said Tuesday that fighting in the eastern city of Slovyansk the day before claimed the lives of 30 pro-Russian insurgents and four government troops.
Flights to and from the region’s Donetsk International Airport were “temporarily suspended” amid the fighting on the orders of the Kyiv government. A spokesman for the airport didn’t provide further details on flight suspensions or the reasons behind the move.
The measure comes amid an escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, the city of Slovyansk, about 120 kilometers to the north of Donetsk, was the scene of the most sustained fighting since the government in Kyiv launched an antiterrorist operation and sent troops to eastern parts of the country.
On Monday morning, Ukrainian forces around Slovyansk met strong resistance from a group of about 800 pro-Russian fighters armed with large caliber weapons, mortars and other equipment, according to Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
Mr. Avakov said Tuesday that 30 pro-Russian insurgents were killed during the operation near Slovyansk. Four government troops also died in the fighting and another 20 were injured.
Ukraine is seeking to regain control in the east ahead of presidential elections scheduled for May 25, while pro-Russian militants plan a May 11 referendum in areas under their control on the region’s future.
Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said Monday he was prepared to negotiate with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine who are seeking more autonomy.
But in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said discussions with “someone who picks up and uses weapons against citizens of Ukraine” would be impossible.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry called on Kyiv on Monday to “stop the bloodshed, withdraw forces and finally sit down at the negotiating table.” It also accused the government of “terrorism against their own people” by deploying the military and said a “humanitarian catastrophe” is brewing in the region.
The clashes in Slovyansk come after the deadliest day of fighting on Friday, when 46 people were killed in rioting and a deadly fire in the Black Sea port city of Odessa.
In response to the riots, Mr. Turchynov on Tuesday dismissed the head of the Odessa regional administration. Kyiv has already fired the chief of the regional police and much of his senior staff following the clash between a pro-Russian mob and supporters of the new government.
The speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament called the deadly fire caused by mass rioting in Odessa “genocide,” Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.
Sergei Naryshkin is one of the highest-ranking Russian officials to use such strong language when publicly condemning deadly clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Kyiv protesters in the Black sea port city of Odessa.
Lukas I. Alpert contributed to this article.
Write to Olga Razumovskaya at olga.razumovskaya@wsj.com