SLAVIANSK, May 5 (RIA Novosti) – Another four people have been injured in Ukraine’s military crackdown on besieged Slaviansk in the country’s southeast, increasing the number of casualties to at least 10, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
“Four more injured were just brought in, and they are being taken to hospitals,” a representative for the local activists said.
RIA Novosti’s correspondent said that all of the injured have bullet wounds and many are in critical condition.
The number of the wounded has been rising steadily as Ukrainian troops clashed with self-defense activists Monday at a roadblock on the outskirts of Slaviansk.
At least one civilian – a woman who stepped out on her balcony as the skirmish commenced – was killed by gunfire. Reports from the ground spoke of artillery shots near the city.
Protesters have been rebuilding the barricades around Slaviansk overnight as Ukrainian troops encircled the city in a bid to wrest control from pro-referendum demonstrators and self-defense forces.
Last Friday, the interim authorities in Kiev declared an active phase of their "anti-terrorist" operation against pro-federalization activists in eastern regions of the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Kiev to immediately halt the crackdown, saying it was a breach of its responsibilities under the April 17 Geneva accords on de-escalation of the Ukrainian crisis and has jeopardized the implementation of the agreement.
