Sixteen Ukraine troops slain in raid
Many in the east resent the government in Kyiv, seeing it as led by nationalists bent on repressing the Russian-speaking minority. The interim government came to power in February after months of street protests chased pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych from power.
But many in the rebellious regions also have grown increasingly exasperated with the insurgents, whom they blame for putting civilians in the crossfire.
In the village of Semenovka on the outskirts of Slovyansk, shelling badly damaged several houses. Zinaida Patskan had her roof torn away by an explosion that also shattered a wall. She said she hid under a kitchen table with her cat, Timofey, in the shelling.
“Why they are hitting us?” the 80-year-old said, bursting into tears. “We are peaceful people!”
About 100 Semenovka residents later vented their anger against the central government, demanding Ukrainian forces end the offensive and withdraw. Speakers at a rally also urged a boycott of the presidential vote.
In the Luhansk region, sustained gunfire and mortar fire rocked the town of Lysychansk. One shell hit a house, which burst into flames. A police duty officer at the town hospital said one fighter had died and five were wounded.
In the evening, a convoy of at least 200 Ukrainian soldiers was seen traveling to Slovyansk from the north. The soldiers were in two armored vehicles and eight military trucks, one of the larger concentrations seen in recent weeks.
While the fighting raged, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces were leaving the regions near Ukraine as part of a military pullout ordered by President Vladimir Putin. It said four trainloads of weapons and 15 Il-76 heavy-lift transport planes had already left the Belgorod, Bryansk and Rostov regions.
NATO had estimated Russia had 40,000 troops along the border.
Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s supreme commander in Europe, said in Brussels that some Russian military movements had been detected but it was too early to assess their size or importance. He said a very large and capable Russian force still remained close to Ukraine.
In Kyiv, Yatsenyuk described Russia’s announcement as a bluff.
“Even if the troops are withdrawing, Russian authorities are still assisting the armed terrorists who were trained in Russia,” he said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich rejected Yatsenyuk’s claims of Russian interference as unfounded and denounced his call for a U.N. meeting as “propaganda.”
Putin’s pullout order and his remarks welcoming Ukraine’s election reflected an attempt to ease tensions with the West over Ukraine and avoid a new round of U.S. and Europea Union sanctions. He has ignored the plea of some of the rebels to join Russia.
The U.S. and the EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes on members of Putin’s inner circle after Russia annexed Crimea in March. The West warned that crippling sanctions against entire sectors of the Russian economy could follow if Moscow tries to grab more land or attempts to derail the election.
Russia wants guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO and has advocated for constitutional reforms that would give broader powers to Ukraine’s regions. That would maintain Moscow’s clout in Ukraine’s industrial heartland.