More than 30 Russian and Chechen 'terrorists' killed in Ukraine as local forces escalate attacks on pro-Moscow militia
- Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said four government troops also died
- Another 20 troops were injured during fighting in Slovyansk
- Gun battles took place at various locations around the city
- Flights from Donetsk Airport were suspended by 'government order'
- Kiev authorities tried to reassert control in Odessa by appointing a governor
More than 30 pro-Russian and Chechen 'terrorists' have been killed during gun battles in eastern Ukraine as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page that four government troops also died and another 20 were injured during clashes between local forces and pro-Moscow militia in Slovyansk.
Fighting took place at various positions around the city during the government's biggest effort to quash unrest in the mainly Russian-speaking east.
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Militia: A pro-Russia gunman holds his weapon outside a local administrative building in the centre of Slovyansk
Armed: The soldiers patrol the city after more than 30 pro-Russia troops were killed in gun battles
Ukrainian forces had taken hold of a key checkpoint north of the city, dealing a blow to insurgent lines of communication.
The checkpoint had come under repeated attack since the government offensive began.
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In the southwest, Kiev authorities also attempted to reassert control over the key Black Sea region of Odessa by appointing a new governor there.
In Donetsk, a city 120km south of Slovyansk, flights from the local airport were suspend.
Heightening tensions: The death toll from a military offensive in a flashpoint town in east Ukraine rose to at least 34, amid fresh warnings of civil war and the shutdown of a major airport in the region
Prepared: Pro-Moscow militia take position by railway tracks on in Slovyansk in the aftermath of heavy fighting
Barricade: An armed militia man, with a Russia flag painted onto the butt of his gun, stands at a checkpoint in the eastern city next to an inflatable doll
A display board showed international departures had been cancelled and only outbound flights to the capital, Kiev, were still in operation.
The airport said on its website that the cancellations followed a government order.
It was not immediately clear how long the suspension was due to remain in effect.
Avakov said Monday that pro-Russia forces were deploying large-calibre weapons, mortars with both sides suffering casualties.
Firm: A pro-Russian militants holds a Kalashnikov as he guards a barricade outside the city hall in downtown Kramatorsk
Taken: A woman walks into the building behind which has been seized by pro Russia militia
Patriotic: The Moscow supporters are surrounded by tyres as there are calls for a new round of crisis talks in Ukraine
Military presence: Troops from both the pro-Russia and pro-Kiev sides have been injured ion battles which had intensified
On the defensive: The Pro-Moscow fighters took up their positions after Ukrainian forces took a key checkpoint north of the city
Ukraine is facing its worst crisis in decades as the polarized nation of 46 million tries to decide whether to look toward Europe, as its western regions want to, or improve ties with Russia, which is favored by the many Russian-speakers in the east.
Dozens of government offices have been seized, either by armed insurgents or anti-government crowds, over the past several weeks.
Stranded: Passengers wait for information at Donetsk Airport with no reason given for the suspension of flights
Empty: A policeman patrols Donetsk airport, as all flights in and out of the eastern Ukrainian city have been suspended
Symbol: A flag of the so-called Donetsk Republic waves outside of the airport as tensions rise between Ukraine and Russia
Service: Yulia Izotova lies in an open casket as relatives gather round to pay their respects in Kramatorsk
Mourning: A friend of 21-year old nurse Yulia Izotova cries while holding a picture during her funeral in Kramatorsk.
The goals of the pro-Russian insurgency are geared toward pushing for broader powers of autonomy for the region, but some insurgents do favor separatism.
Leaders of the anti-government movement say they plan to hold a referendum on autonomy for eastern regions on May 11, although visible preparations for the vote have been negligable.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has put the blame on the unrest squarely on Kiev, which it says 'stubbornly continues to wage war against the people of its own country.'
The ministry has urged what it called the 'Kiev organizers of the terror' to pull back their troops from the east and hold peaceful negotiations to resolve the crisis.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague is suggesting that the unrest in eastern Ukraine is being fostered by Russia to disrupt the presidential elections on May 25.
Devastated: Family members mourn during the service. Her death followed pitched gun battles between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia militia
He is also urging a gathering of European foreign ministers to rally in support of the vote.
Hague spoke at a foreign ministers' meeting of the 47-nation Council of Europe in Vienna. Also present were the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers.
He told reporters: 'Russia is clearly intent on preventing or disrupting those elections,' while asserting that foreign ministers at the meeting will express 'strong support" for holding the vote without outside interference.
Handover: Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, dressed as paratrooper, gestures during meeting with press as he gives his vehicle, a GAZ-2975 Tigr, to pro-Russian activists from eastern Ukraine
Gesture: He waved the driver off as they took the vehicle to areas where tensions are continuing to escalate
He also said nations supporting Ukraine remain ready to find a diplomatic solution to reduce tensions generated by the pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine but 'that would require stronger Russian commitment.'
In Kramatorsk, a separatist-held town in the east that saw an advance by Ukrainian troops at the weekend, the coffin of 21-year-old nurse Yulia Izotova was carried through streets stilled by barricades of tyres and tree trunks. She was killed by shots fired from a Ukrainian military column.
A small crowd of about 50 stood around the body, covering it with carnations and roses. A Ukrainian flag fluttered in the wind, and a patriotic song about dead heroes was played from a sound system.
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