DONETSK, Ukraine
Ukrainian army forces have recaptured an airport in the eastern Donetsk region from pro-Russian separatists, Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on Tuesday.
Armed pro-Russians had seized control of the airport early on Monday, according to the airport’s press office.
Ukrainian forces retaliated the same day to regain control of the airport.
Nearly 100 people, 50 separatists and 30 to 50 civilians, were killed in the operation, according to a separatist leader in Donetsk.
Ukrainian army jets and helicopters also shelled the city of Donetsk overnight causing the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" to order a curfew from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m.
Russian-speaking Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east of Ukraine have sought to break away from Kiev since the ousting of pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych.
On Sunday, Ukrainians elected billionaire businessman, Petro Poroshenko, as president despite disruptions in the restive eastern areas.
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