Pro-Russian militants storm checkpoint and kill 14 soldiers in deadliest clash yet

  • More than 30 Ukrainian soldiers wounded, some gravely, witnesses said
  • Separatist militant group in Horlivka claim responsibility for the attack
  • Comes as Ukrainian army shelling destroys more homes near Slavyansk
  • Kremlin announces that troop withdrawal from border regions underway
  • British RT journalist is freed after days held captive by pro-Kyiv forces

By
Damien Gayle
and Agencies


Published:

11:47 GMT, 22 May 2014


|
Updated:

15:58 GMT, 22 May 2014

At least 11 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and dozens more were wounded when rebels stormed their checkpoint in east Ukraine today.

A group of rebels in the town of
Horlivka claimed responsibility for the attack near the village of Blahodatne, near the town of Volnovakha, Donetsk.

They produced an array of weapons they
said they had seized from the soldiers, in what is the deadliest raid in weeks of fighting in the region.

A separatist militant shows off the array of weapons his group claims to have seized from Ukrainian army soldiers after they stormed a government checkpoint, killing 11 and wounding 30, some gravely

A separatist militant shows off the array of weapons his group claims to have seized from Ukrainian army soldiers after they stormed a government checkpoint, killing 11 and wounding 30, some gravely

The booty was carefully laid out in the courtyard of the rebel-occupied Horlivka city police headquarters

The booty was carefully laid out in the courtyard of the rebel-occupied Horlivka city police headquarters

The weapons haul included automatic and sniper rifles, rocket grenade launchers and bulletproof vest

The weapons haul included automatic and sniper rifles, rocket grenade launchers and bulletproof vest

The militiaman crouches to show the blade of a commando knife which is among the cache of seized weapons

The militiaman crouches to show the blade of a commando knife which is among the cache of seized weapons

Another militant points to a sniper rifle which his group claim they seized after the battle this morning

Another militant points to a sniper rifle which his group claim they seized after the battle this morning

‘We
destroyed a checkpoint of the fascist Ukrainian army deployed on the
land of the Donetsk Republic,’ said the commander, who wore a balaclava
and identified himself by his nom de guerre, ‘Bes’ – Russian for
‘demon.’

‘The weapons you see here have been taken from the dead, they are trophies,’ he said.

He
showed several dozen items, including automatic and sniper rifles,
rocket grenade launchers and bulletproof vests. The booty was carefully
laid out in the courtyard of the Horlivka city police headquarters which
is occupied by the rebels.

‘People
living in western Ukraine: Think about where you are sending your
brothers, fathers and sons, and why you need any of this,’ the commander
said.

The claims could not be independently verified.

Associated Press reporters who arrived after the attack saw 11 bodies scattered around the checkpoint near the village of Blahodatne, near the town of Volnovakha, Donetsk.

More than 30 soldiers loyal to Kyiv were wounded, some gravely, when the insurgents stormed the checkpoint, witnesses said.

Three charred Ukrainian armoured
infantry vehicles, their turrets blown away by powerful explosions, and
several burned trucks stood at the scene of the battle.

Officials
arrived at the battlefield in a military helicopter and inspected the
area. Ukraine’s defence ministry confirmed the attack but would not
comment on casualties.

Scores
have been killed since the Kyiv government launched an ‘anti-terrorist
operation’ against insurgents, who have seized government
buildings and declared their regions independent.

Pro-Russian militants guard a checkpoint in Semyonovka village, outside Slavyansk, Ukraine

Pro-Russian militants guard a checkpoint in Semyonovka village, outside Slavyansk, Ukraine

Militants stand near houses in Semyonovka which have been damaged by Ukrainian army shelling

Militants stand near houses in Semyonovka which have been damaged by Ukrainian army shelling

Zinaida Patskan, 80, stands in her house after shelling from Ukrainian government forces in Semyonovka

Zinaida Patskan, 80, stands in her house after shelling from Ukrainian government forces in Semyonovka

The roof of her home was torn and an exterior wall demolished by the shells from troops loyal to Kyiv

The roof of her home was torn and an exterior wall demolished by the shells from troops loyal to Kyiv

Mrs Patskan his under a table with her pet cat Timofey, pictured, as the shells rained down on her home

Mrs Patskan his under a table with her pet cat Timofey, pictured, as the shells rained down on her home

'Why they are hitting us?' she said to an AP reporter while bursting into tears. 'We are peaceful people!'

‘Why they are hitting us?’ she said to an AP reporter while bursting into tears. ‘We are peaceful people!’

The people of Semyonovka gather together to protest against the shelling from Ukrainian soldiers

The people of Semyonovka gather together to protest against the shelling from Ukrainian soldiers

Today’s battle will cast a shadow over Ukraine’s presidential vote this Sunday, which insurgents have vowed to derail.

The authorities in Kyiv see the vote as a chance to defuse tensions and stabilise the country. But they admitted that it will be impossible to stage the vote in some areas in the east. They say election officials and voters have faced intimidation and threats from the rebels.

Many in the Russian-speaking east resent the government in Kyiv, which seized power in February after mass protests toppled Ukraine’s pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.

Eastern Ukrainians see the new regime as ‘fascists’ bent on oppressing Russian speakers and targeting ethnic Russians. But they are also said to be growing increasingly exasperated with the rebels after finding themselves in the crossfire of battles with the Ukrainian army.

Pro-Russian fighters pose for a photo in front of a burning cafe after impact of a mortar bomb, during fighting between Ukrainian government troops and militants in Slavyansk

Pro-Russian fighters pose for a photo in front of a burning cafe after impact of a mortar bomb, during fighting between Ukrainian government troops and militants in Slavyansk

A pro-Russian fighter takes a photo of the burning cafe on his mobile phone

A pro-Russian fighter takes a photo of the burning cafe on his mobile phone

In the village of Semenovka, on the outskirts of Slavyansk, artillery shelling that appeared to come from government positions badly damaged several houses today.

Zinaida Patskan, 80, had the roof of her house torn by an explosion, which also shattered one of the walls. ‘Why they are hitting us?’ she said, bursting into tears. ‘We are peaceful people!’

Mrs Patskan, who wasn’t hurt, said she was hiding under a kitchen table with her cat, Timofey, when the shelling came.

About a hundred Semenovka residents later vented their anger against the central government, demanding that the Ukrainian forces cease their offensive and withdraw from the region.

Speakers at the rally also called for boycotting the presidential vote.

President Vladimir Putin's order to withdraw Russian forces massed along the border with Ukraine was today being carried out, according to the Russian defence ministry. Nato said it had seen no signs of movement

President Vladimir Putin’s order to withdraw Russian forces massed along the border with Ukraine was today being carried out, according to the Russian defence ministry. Nato said it had seen no signs of movement

As fighting raged in Ukraine, Russia’s Defence Ministry said today that its forces were leaving border regions as part of a military pullout ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

It said that four trainloads of
weapons and 15 Il-76 heavy-lift transport planes left the Belgorod,
Bryansk and Rostov regions on Wednesday. The troops are to reach their
permanent bases before June 1, the ministry added.

RUSSIA ANNOUNCES SWITCH FROM DOLLAR PAYMENTS FOR ITS OIL

Many clients of Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian state gas company Gazprom, are ready to switch their payments from U.S. dollars to euros and yuan, CEO Alexander Dyukov said today.

Any switch away from the use of U.S. dollars as a global reserve currency could lead to massive shockwaves in the American economy.

Mr Dyukov added there could be problems borrowing abroad because of western sanctions imposed on Russia after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March but said that Gazprom Neft had fulfilled its borrowing plan for 2014.

The announcment came as a businessman facing EU and U.S. sanctions was appointed Russia’s business envoy to China. Gennady Timchenko said he expects a flurry of deals in a shift away from the West.

He said: ‘You know what Putin said? He introduced me (to Chinese businessmen) by saying now Mr Timchenko is the head of our business council.

‘In other words – it is my words here – he is our main man for China. From the point of view of business relations. That was yesterday.’

Nato has estimated that Russia has 40,000 troops along the border with Ukraine. The U.S.-led alliance insisted earlier this week that it had not yet seen any signs of a Russian withdrawal.

Putin scoffed at Nato’s scepticism, saying yesterday that the pullout involving such large numbers of troops would take time. ‘Those who aren’t seeing it should look better,’ he said.

He said the pullout will be clearly visible in satellite images.

The announcement went further than an earlier step by the Russian leader two weeks ago, when he said the troops retreated from the border to shooting ranges.

Putin’s pullout order and his remarks welcoming Ukraine’s presidential election this Sunday seemed to reflect an attempt to ease tensions with the West over Ukraine and avoid a new round of Western sanctions.

He has ignored the plea of some of the rebels in eastern Ukraine to join Russia after independence referendums dismissed as a sham by Kyiv and the West.

The U.S. and the European Union imposed travel bans and asset freezes on members of Putin’s entourage after Russia annexed Crimea in March.

Western politicians have warned that more crippling sanctions against entire sectors of the Russian economy would follow if Russia tries to grab more land or attempts to derail Ukraine’s election.

Moscow has supported a peace plan brokered by Switzerland and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It proposes a broad amnesty and the launch of a national dialogue that focuses on the decentralisation of government and upholding the status of the Russian language.

Russia also has pushed for guarantees that Ukraine will not join Nato and has advocated constitutional reforms that would give broader powers to the regions. Some say this would maintain Moscow’s clout in the Russian-speaking eastern regions that form the nation’s industrial heartland.

Journalists picket the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow to demand the release of journalists working for RT and Moscow-based Life News who have been detained by forces loyal to the government in Kyiv

Journalists picket the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow to demand the release of journalists working for RT and Moscow-based Life News who have been detained by forces loyal to the government in Kyiv

As clashes continued in the east, the Kremlin angrily protested the detention of journalists working for Russian media outlets in Ukraine.

Graham Phillips, a British national working for state-controlled English language television station RT, was detained earlier this week by Ukrainian forces.

Two correspondents with Moscow-based Life News television are still in Ukrainian custody and facing accusations of aiding armed insurgents – a claim that Putin has dismissed as ‘rubbish and nonsense.’


Comments (18)

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The comments below have not been moderated.

Trevki,

London, United Kingdom,

30 minutes ago

Eastern Europe 1014… ..oops sorry I mean 2014,

Thugultan Reymonov,

Vladikavkaz, Russia,

1 hour ago

They “Ukrainian soldiers” were mercenaries hired by evil agents of the new world order. They attacked first and the pro-democratic, pro-Russian “militants” outsmarted them and won. Simple.

IDontBelieveIt,

Earth, United Kingdom,

10 minutes ago

You keep telling yourself that.Ukraine is no longer part of the USSR

bill p.,

saints france,

2 hours ago

If they trade in oil away from the dollar…watch the dollar FALL. Sorry USA you started all this.

crusaderforever,

Dar-Al-Harb,

2 hours ago

I want my country (USA) out of NATO. Let the Euros to fend for themselves.

IDontBelieveIt,

Earth, United Kingdom,

9 minutes ago

Yes because NATO haven’t helped you over the years, ungrateful sod

Mike R,

Granada, Spain,

2 hours ago

Seems its dangerous to let Russians into your country, as they band together and try to take over,

rex,

droitwich uk, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

Strangely it was Soviet policy to move Russians to their satellite countries for quite a long time, now we can see why.

Account Suspended,

In Limbo, United States,

2 hours ago

How weird. One of those guys is wearing a Russian Army uniform… Must be lost.

stinkyink,

rotterdam, Netherlands,

2 hours ago

and so what, no wonder they consider americans to be most stupid people in the world, during the war I former Yugoslavia lot of people was wearing Russian uniforms. lot of them had American uniforms lot of them had German uniforms….that does not mean they are RUSSIAN Soldiers, they could get them uniforms from police or army depot or bought from army store in Ukraine.

Oleg Naumenko,

Moskva, Russia,

1 hour ago

1 – Ukrainian helicopter pilot form, 2 +3- camouflage robe scout Soviet-style, 4 incomprehensible form, 5 and 6 – the old Russian form (2 – 5 are sold in hunting and fishing store)

Eign4,

East C, United States,

2 hours ago

he-he switching payments to yuan. it is an upgrade. Next will be tugrik. @ Red Tick you must be naive thinking that Putin is not funding pro-russian rebels…and where all the AK came from i wonder.

2 of 3 repliesSee all replies

Oleg Naumenko,

Moskva, Russia,

1 hour ago

these AK worldwide very much, Ukrainian army armed. even sold in America Bulgarian forgery.

Oleg Naumenko,

Moskva, Russia,

49 minutes ago

Russia, in response to pressure bring down the U.S. economy the west, which prints oil-gas dollars as securities for International Settlements. Soon, Russia refuses to receive dollars for goods, some say pay gold, others its currency, which will be evaluated for example Exchange kilowatt hours. payments will not occur in Swiss banks, and by the Russian bank against whom sanctions were imposed. Then the energy and commodities fall in price, and Russia will not be many billions in losses as at today’s calculations.

Red Tick Alert,

Out the UK, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Putin is playing a brilliant strategy here – the USA are funding this conflict and losing terribly. AGAIN.

SongShensong,

Washington DC, United States,

1 hour ago

Merkel and the EU have tried desperately to pay under market for energy from RF, even going so far as to having the EU try to legislate the price (EU press conference with EU Presidents and Putin, video online.) Now that RF has upped their dealings with China, Merkel/EU has lost their bargaining power…and the citizens, not the elite like Merkel, will suffer. Lose/Lose situation for EU/USA/Ukraine.

Oleg Naumenko,

Moskva, Russia,

1 hour ago

American corporation “Exxon Mobil” and Anglo-Saxon-Dutch “Shell” interested deposits of shale gas in the region. they spit on the ecology and life-speaking population in the most populated regions of Ukraine, the main thing is to reduce Russia’s influence in Europe.

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