Two Ukrainian helicopters were shot down, killing a pilot and serviceman during military operations against armed pro-Russian separatists in the east of Slavyansk on Friday.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that two Mi-24 gunships were shot down and a third helicopter was hit wounding a paramedic on board.
Pro-Russian groups were abandoning and setting fire to the barricades they had set in the outskirts of the city as Ukrainian forces moved in, said the SBU.
Ukrainian forces reportedly used at least 20 helicopters in the operations. Pro-Russian armed groups said the military attacked the city's checkpoints, which Ukrainian troops have taken back control of.
The operation in Slavyansk occurred after Ukraine’s interim President Oleksandr Turchynov signed a decree on Thursday, reinstating compulsory military service for men aged between 18 and 25 years after pro-Russian separatists stormed the regional General Prosecutor’s Office in Donetsk following the May Day protests at Lenin Square, taking over the last government building in the city that remained under Kiev government's rule.
Turchynov said the situation in the eastern and southern part of the country has deteriorated because of armed illegal gangs. He said the purpose of the compulsory military service is to increase the military’s ability to respond to the seizure of government buildings, military posts and troops as well as the blockade on communication systems, and notably "Russian intervention" in Ukraine's internal affairs, for the new measure to reinforce and support the military activity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Government buildings and police stations in several eastern Ukraine cities are in the hands of armed pro-Russian groups. A prosecutor’s office building in Donetsk was the latest building seized on Thursday by groups that support Russia.
Kiev has accused Russia for the occupation of buildings while Russia denies the accusations.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
