DPR captures Donetsk-Mariupol road

Pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine say they have taken control of a strategic road that links Donetsk to the strategic port city of Mariupol.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) headquarters reported on Tuesday that they had taken control of the Donetsk-Mariupol road and several other roads to Mariupol.

Pro-Russia protesters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk also say they are close to recapturing its airport from government forces who have been defending it since capturing it two months ago.

“The airport is 95 percent under our control. Practically, we are holding it by now. Some remaining Ukrainian troops need to be cleared,” said a leader of one of the main pro-Russian units in Donetsk.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine’s military sources said that 15 government soldiers had been killed during fights in the eastern parts of the country over the past 24 hours.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it was “shocked” by Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Geletey’s remarks accusing Moscow of launching a “great war” that could claim tens of thousands of lives. 

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Moscow forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence pro-Russians in mid-April.

Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions of Donetsk and Luhansk held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.

SRK/AS/MHB