Separatists, government troops continue faceoff in eastern Ukraine
(CNN) — Ukraine is days away from getting a new president, though seemingly much longer from securing a lasting peace — as demonstrated yet again Thursday, with its military and separatists continuing to face off in eastern and southern parts of the country.
As has been true for weeks, the deadly clashes are centered in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Pro-Russian separatists have seized two military bases, and civilian deaths have been reported.
Ukrainian National Guard troops on Thursday blocked the main road between the cities of Donetsk and Slovyansk, a hotbed for separatists. Slovyansk itself appeared relatively calm, though there was a real potential the area could erupt at any moment with military and separatist positions separated by less than 1 kilometer.
In nearby Krasny Liman, a Ukrainian flag flew over City Hall after government troops took over that community from separatist forces. This turnover followed two days of heavy fighting, with residents reporting they heard firing overnight.
Video emerges of airstrike aftermath
Pro-Russian militants stand guard at a barricade and checkpoint in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Sunday, June 1. A new president, Petro Poroshenko, has been elected in Ukraine, three months after the ouster of Viktor Yanukovych. But there is still unrest in the eastern part of the country, where a large separatist movement has arisen in the wake of Russia’s takeover of the Crimean peninsula.
A Ukrainian soldier shoots a grenade launcher during a battle with pro-Russian separatists in Slovyansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 31.
A protester from Kyiv’s Independence Square gestures May 31 as fellow protesters burn tires to protect their barricades from being dismantled by communal services.
A Ukrainian armored personnel carrier takes position during a battle with pro-Russian separatist fighters May 31 in Slovyansk.
Ukrainian soldiers rest at a checkpoint outside Slovyansk on Thursday, May 29.
Smoke rises from a shot-down Ukrainian Army helicopter outside Slovyansk on May 29.
A man stands in front of a truck that was bombed by Ukrainian soldiers during clashes with armed rebels Tuesday, May 27, in Donetsk.
Medical staff prepare to clean the body of a pro-Russian militant at the Kalinina morgue in Donetsk on May 27.
The body of a pro-Russian militant lies on a stretcher at a morgue in Donetsk on May 27. He was killed in clashes around Donetsk’s airport, which was seized by pro-Russian separatists a day earlier. Ukrainian forces moved in and reclaimed the facility.
Firefighters work on extinguishing a fire at a local sports hall in Donetsk on May 27.
People pile up sandbags to set up a shooting position on the road leading from the Donetsk airport on May 27.
A man dressed in a prisoner costume takes part in a protest against government corruption May 27 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Pro-Russian militants take position on the roof of Donetsk International Airport on Monday, May 26.
A pro-Russian militant takes position on the roof of the Donetsk airport on May 26.
A man runs for cover during fighting around the airport on May 26.
Smoke rises from the airport on May 26 after an airstrike by the Ukrainian military.
Pro-Russian gunmen take positions near the airport on May 26.
Men stand next to pro-Russian militants as a woman runs away during clashes near the airport on May 26.
A pro-Russian militant guards a checkpoint on May 26, blocking a highway that links the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
A pro-Russian militant teaches recruits how to use a machine gun in Senyonovka, Ukraine, on May 26.
A woman walks May 26 near barricades built by protesters in Kyiv’s Independence Square. Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s future mayor and a former boxing champion, promised to dismantle the iconic protest encampment that helped oust Yanukovych but now clogs traffic and draws public complaints.
Ukraine’s newly elected president, Petro Poroshenko, talks alongside Klitschko, right, during a news conference in Kyiv on May 26. Poroshenko, a billionaire candy tycoon known as the “Chocolate King,” is a seasoned politician known for his pro-European Union views.
Election commission officials count ballots at a polling station in Kyiv on Sunday, May 25.
Artist Ivan Voronov, 91, and his wife, Svetlana Samoilechenko, 86, cast votes from their Kyiv home on May 25.
An elderly woman casts her vote May 25 as a mobile Ukrainian election committee visited Orane, a village north of Kyiv.
A woman holds the hand of a pro-Russian gunman in Donetsk’s Lenin Square on May 25. A large separatist rally was held in Donetsk around lunchtime. The protesters chanted pro-Russian slogans as they were addressed by separatist leaders.
A man prepares a ballot at a polling station in the eastern Ukrainian town of Dobropillya on May 25. See the crisis in Ukraine before the election
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Photos: Ukraine after the election
Separatists blame military for airstrike
Still, any celebration had to be muted by the fact that militants remain close by, dug in on a main road several miles east of the city.
These tensions simmered while, hundreds of miles away in Brussels, Belgium, the situation in Ukraine dominated a meeting of G7 leaders.
U.S. President Barack Obama threatened more economic sanctions against Russia — which many in the West accuse of fomenting instability and violence in Ukraine by allowing weapons into the region and supporting separatists — unless it takes key steps in the coming weeks.
Obama warns Russia about continued meddling
Those include recognizing Petro Poroshenko, who recently won the first national election since the unrest began last November, as Ukraine’s President when he is inaugurated Saturday. Until now, the Kremlin has refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Kyiv-based government that took over after the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych.
Neither Poroshenko nor his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, ruled out the possibility of meeting when they are in France over the coming days.
If they do, they’ll have their work cut out for them, given the deep divisions about what’s happened in Ukraine and what should happen next.
Still, the two countries appear to be coming together at least in one respect: Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Zurabov, will attend Poroshenko’s inauguration, according to state-run RIA Novosti.
“[Zurabov] is returning to Kyiv in order to continue executing his functions,” added Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.
Conflicting accounts in heightened eastern Ukraine fighting
Obama vows to stand with Ukraine as he meets President-elect in Poland
CNN’s Tim Lister contributed to this report.
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