A solution to the crisis in east Ukraine seemed as far away as ever on Tuesday, as six Ukrainian army servicemen were killed in an ambush by rebels and attempts to get Kiev and the armed separatists to negotiate came to nothing.
Ukraine's defence ministry released a statement saying that six of its soldiers had been killed and a further eight wounded during an ambush outside the town of Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region. The attackers used grenade launchers and automatic weapons to fire at the Ukrainian column, hitting an armoured personnel carrier.
More than 50 people have died in Donetsk region since Kiev began its "anti-terrorism operation" in the area, but Tuesday's attack represents the greatest loss of life for the Ukrainian army in a single incident.
The de facto separatist government in Donetsk repeated on Tuesday lunchtime that the Ukrainian army was now considered to be an "occupying force", and the ambush appeared to be a bloody restatement of their case.
The "Donetsk People's Republic" was proclaimed on Monday, after a hastily arranged referendum resulted in nearly 90% of votes being given in favour of its creation. Critics have pointed out that there were no observers and that most of those who remain loyal to Kiev simply stayed at home. Nevertheless, the region announced independence and immediately appealed to Russia to accept it as a new region.
Russia is unlikely to annex the territory as it did with Crimea, and so far has merely called for talks between Kiev and the separatists in the east. However, Denis Pushilin, one of the separatist leaders, said on Tuesday that the only thing he could talk to Kiev about was hostage exchanges.
The region's Kiev-appointed governor said that he completely dismissed the claims of the separatists and added that preparations were under way for holding Ukrainian elections in Donetsk region.
"The Donetsk People's Republic does not exist," said Serhiy Taruta at a press conference in Donetsk on Tuesday. He said that he had been negotiating with some representatives of the separatists but that each time there were different interlocutors, so it was impossible to decide who was calling the shots.
Taruta has claimed that Kiev was still in control of the region but it seems unlikely that the elections will take place in the current climate.
Source: theguardian
