- Title: UKRAINE-CRISIS/EAST Ukrainian military hold positions near embattled Maryinka
- Date: 9th June 2015
- Summary: NEAR MARYINKA, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (JUNE 9, 2015) (REUTERS) UKRAINIAN MILITARY NEAR MAKESHIFT TENT MACHINE GUN SURROUNDED BY SANDBAGS MILITARY WALKING CARRYING MACHINE GUNS, BACKPACKS AND BOTTLES WATER MILITARY SEEN FROM BACKS SOLDIERS WALKING TOWARDS SANDBAGS SOLDIERS NEXT TO ARMOURED VEHICLE PARKED NEAR CHECKPOINT UKRAINIAN FLAG MILITARY WALKING IN FIELD APC PARKED I
- Embargoed: 24th June 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ukraine
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6HMDARLZ7S8EV08F4UCM68M1I
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Ukrainian soldiers deployed near the town of Maryinka to the west of rebel-held city of Donetsk say the area is shelled regularly by Russian-backed separatists.
"To be honest we - and you can ask anyone here - none understands what they (rebels) want. We never ever open fire on them. You can see that we are living here in peace, we just live and walk and move around. And we only keep surveillance on them. Why they provoke us and open fire on us - this we do not known," Ukrainian soldier nom de guerre Polish told Reuters.
Five Ukrainian servicemen were killed and dozens injured in fighting near Maryinka last week when Russian rebels tried to make an advance, Kiev said. Separatists were beaten back after near 12 hours of fighting, the military said.
According to Ukraine's defence ministry, the rebels were using tanks and artillery, in violation of a ceasefire declared in February.
The rebels blamed government troops for the fighting and said 15 civilians and separatist fighters had died in shelling by Kiev's forces.
Ukrainian soldiers were seen patrolling the area near Maryinka with a pre-conflict population of about 9,900.
The fighting in Maryinka last week went far beyond the regular low-level skirmishing that has occasionally flared since the shaky peace deal was reached.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Ukraine said the security situation in eastern Ukraine had deteriorated in recent days with both sides of the conflict putting civilians at risk.
In Moscow, the Kremlin immediately took the side of the separatists, accusing the Ukrainian armed forces of carrying out provocative actions.
Kiev and its NATO allies accuse Russia of sending weapons and troops to fight on behalf of separatists who control part of two provinces in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow, which seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula last year, denies its troops are participating. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None