Shootout Occurs in East Ukraine, Six People Reported Dead
19 October 2018 20:29 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Kiev - The Easter truce was broken in East Ukraine, with six people dead following a shootout at a separatist roadblock near the town of Slaviansk.
Witnesses said that attackers came in four cars, shooting at Pro-Russian forces at the roadblock, which were reportedly only armed with sticks. Back in town, leaders of the separatist movement claimed that insignia from the 'Right Sector' Ukrainian nationalist group was found on one of the dead attackers. The group denied any role in the attack, instead accusing Russian Special Forces of attempting to provoke unrest by defaming them.
"It is a blasphemous provocation from Russia: blasphemous because it took place on a holy night for Christians, on Easter night. This was clearly carried out by Russian special forces," Artem Skoropadsky, a spokesman for the Right Sector told Reuters.
Ukrainian authorities said that they had stopped their military operations against pro-Russian separatist over the weekend for the Easter truce.
REUTERS | AL-JAZEERA | RIA NOVOSTI