© Reuters/Baz Ratner
A Ukrainian soldier points his weapon at an approaching car with APCs behind him at a checkpoint near the town of Slavyansk.
Anti-government protesters are reportedly conducting a battle with Ukrainian military forces on the outskirts of the eastern town of Slavyansk in the Donetsk region. Self-defense fighters say they will push the troops out of the town.
"
There was a gunfight near the railway station about half-an-hour ago. From there it moved to Malinovka district," a representative of the local self-defense headquarters told Interfax. According to the source, protesters managed to drive the troops to the outskirts of the town, and "
plan to dislodge them from there."
One activist, called Natalia, confirmed to RT that currently there is shooting near the villages of Malinovka and Andreevka.
She said that self-defense is currently "pursuing" National Guard troops, Rights Sector militants and "mercenaries."
"
So, we are now conducting an offensive rather than a defensive operation," Natalia said. The "
operation" is aimed at the "
destruction" of the troops' camps in the area.
Earlier, Ukrainian troops who are continuing their special operation in Slavyansk, took control of a local TV broadcasting center, the country's Interior Ministry said, as cited by Itar-Tass.
Meanwhile the Donetsk region self-defense forces say they have managed to regain some of the areas, previously seized by Ukrainian troops. That's according to Miroslav Rudenko, one of the Donbass self-defense leaders, who was interviewed by Interfax.
Comment: What a grovelling, sycophantic, bootlicking excuse for a human! This man deserves to be in prison, along with everyone else who conspired to sell their country down the tubes.