This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30929344
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Ukraine crisis: Army retreats at Donetsk airport | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Ukraine's defence ministry says its troops have withdrawn from the main terminal of Donetsk airport, the scene of bitter fighting in recent weeks. | |
It said the military retained control of parts of the airport, but that six soldiers had died and 16 were wounded. | |
In Donetsk itself, at least nine people were killed when a civilian bus was hit by shelling. | |
Fighting between the army and Russian-backed separatists has intensified in and around rebel-held Donetsk. | |
The deaths come after Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany issued a joint call to end fighting in the east. | The deaths come after Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany issued a joint call to end fighting in the east. |
They also agreed on a line of demarcation between separatists and government forces from which both sides are meant to withdraw their forces, but so far this has not been carried out. | |
The airport just outside Donetsk, which is no longer in use, has taken on symbolic value for both separatists and the government. | |
Ukraine's defence ministry said 20 Ukrainian soldiers had withdrawn from the main terminal because their positions were destroyed and they were under direct shelling. | |
The loss of the main terminal is a major blow to pro-Kiev forces and will send political shockwaves back to the capital, the BBC's David Stern reports from Kiev. | The loss of the main terminal is a major blow to pro-Kiev forces and will send political shockwaves back to the capital, the BBC's David Stern reports from Kiev. |
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the shelling of the bus, but the defence ministry blamed separatists, saying their own forces were 15km (9 miles) away. | |
Some reports, citing local officials, said that as many as 13 people had died. | Some reports, citing local officials, said that as many as 13 people had died. |
Last week, 13 people were killed when a bus was struck by artillery fire in Buhas, south-west of Donetsk. | Last week, 13 people were killed when a bus was struck by artillery fire in Buhas, south-west of Donetsk. |
More than 4,800 people have been killed and some 1.2 million displaced since pro-Russian rebels seized parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in April. | |
The rebel movements followed Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March - weeks after Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted. | |
There have been reports of fighting in recent days near the town of Slovyanoserbsk, north-west of Luhansk - an indication that violence is spreading beyond the Donetsk region. | |
Ukraine says Russia has more than 9,000 soldiers fighting alongside the rebels, a claim that Moscow denies. | Ukraine says Russia has more than 9,000 soldiers fighting alongside the rebels, a claim that Moscow denies. |
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday there had been a recent build up in the numbers of Russian tanks and other heavy military equipment in eastern Ukraine. | |
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich repeated Russian denials of intervention in Ukraine. | |
"We know that there are some Russians that fight on the side of those regions in Ukraine - some people that are coming on their own and fight," he told the BBC. | |
"We're trying to make sure that those people [in eastern Ukraine] are protected and to preserve their rights," he said. "We need a peaceful Ukraine." | |
Have you been affected by the recent events in Donetsk? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience. | Have you been affected by the recent events in Donetsk? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience. |
Please include a telephone number if you can be contacted by a BBC journalist. | Please include a telephone number if you can be contacted by a BBC journalist. |
Have your say | Have your say |