MARIUPOL, Ukraine
Ukrainian secuirty forces have reclaimed the rebel-held southeastern port city of Mariupol following an operation against pro-Russian separatists.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that the Ukrainian troops had seized the main checkpoints of the city in the early hours of Friday.
Five separatists and two soldiers were reported killed in heavy fighting between the two sides.
Witnesses said Ukrainian security forces' operations to expel the separatists from the city did not come to an end, as Ukrainian officials claimed that as many as 40 rebels had been detained during the operations.
Meanwhile, Pavlo Shisholin -- deputy head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine -- announced that Ukraine had lost control of a 187-km part of the 2,200-km Russia-Ukraine border as of Friday.
Upon the border guard service's advice, the Ukrainian Council of Ministers decided to close some of the border checkpoints, he said.
Advisor to Ukraine's interior minister, Anton Gerashenko, vowed to regain control over the whole borderline on Saturday at the latest.
In a written statement, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was concerned at reports that pro-Russian armed groups were acquiring heavy weapons including tanks from Russia.
NATO chief called on Moscow to meet its Geneva commitments and cooperate with the government of Ukraine as it implements its plans for promoting peace, unity and reform.
In another development, Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe spokesperson Michael Bociurkiw said they failed to establish contact with two groups of OSCE monitors who were abducted separately in Donetsk and Luhansk in late May.
The organization said that no person or group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.
Tensions remain high in eastern Ukraine where pro-Moscow separatists and government forces continue to clash after Ukraine's newly-elected President Petro Poroshenko vowed "to ensure peace and stability" by retaining control in the eastern regions
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
