KIEV, June 4 (RIA Novosti) — Battles near Slaviansk and Krasnyi Lyman in the Donetsk region on Tuesday killed 300 self-defense officers and injured 45 Ukrainian soldiers, the national Special Forces said Wednesday.
"The active phase of the ATO [anti-terrorist operation] continues near Slaviansk, Semyonovka and Krasnyi Lyman. The fighting continues. The roadblocks [of self-defense] were demolished, and ATO roadblocks were installed. According to preliminary results, the losses on the side [of self-defense] range above 300 dead and 500 injured. What concerns Ukrainian special forces, two fighters died, and 45 soldiers got injured," UNN news agency cited Vladislav Seleznyov, Kiev’s special operation spokesperson.
Seleznyov said the self-defense tried to escape the tight entrapment near Slaviansk.
On Tuesday, the special forces said they had cleared the north of the Donetsk region of self-defense entirely and were blocking Luhansk's eastern and northern borders.
The Ukrainian special operation in southeastern Ukraine continues despite a memorandum on peace and accord adopted by the parliament ahead of the May 25 presidential vote and has killed hundreds of people on both sides.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that Ukraine must immediately move to stop violence and launch nationwide dialogue following a presidential vote in the country.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics proclaimed independence from Ukraine after May 11 referendums.
