fbpx
Wikipedia

Siege of Sloviansk

April 10, 2024

Siege of Sloviansk
Part of the war in Donbas
Date12 April – 5 July 2014
(2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Sloviansk and outskirts, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result

Ukrainian victory

  • DPR forces withdraw to Donetsk
  • Ukrainian forces recapture Sloviansk[2]
Belligerents
 Ukraine Donetsk People's Republic
 Russia
(claimed by Ukraine)[1]
Commanders and leaders
Oleksandr Turchynov
Petro Poroshenko
Arsen Avakov
Serhiy Kulchytskiy †[3]
Stepan Poltorak
Dmytro Yarosh
Maksym Shapoval
Valentyn Nalyvaichenko		 Vyacheslav Ponomarev
Vladimir Pavlenko[4]
Igor Strelkov[5]
Arseny Pavlov[6]
Vladimir Zhoga[7]
Alexander Khodakovsky
Sergei Zhurikov † ("Romashka")[8]
Alexander Mozhaev ("Babay" or "Bogeyman")[9]
Units involved

Armed Forces of Ukraine:

Internal Affairs Ministry:

Security Service (SBU)

Right Sector

Donbass People's Militia:

Russian Armed Forces:

Strength
15,000+
160 tanks
230 APCs
150+ artillery pieces[14]
20 helicopters[15]
2+ other aircraft		 800[16]–1,000[17] fighters
6 APCs[18]
Casualties and losses

51 soldiers killed
127 soldiers wounded
40 soldiers captured[19]
2 SBU agents killed[19]
3 SBU agents captured[20]
1 police chief captured[20]

4 Mi-24 helicopters shot down[21]
2 Mi-8 helicopters shot down[21][22]
1 An-30 shot down[21][23]
3 Mi-24 helicopters damaged[21]
2 Mi-8 helicopters damaged[21][24]
1 An-30 damaged[21]

54 militants killed
200+ militants wounded[25]
4 captured[26]

1+ tank
6 APCs[27]
~20 civilians killed from 13 April to 26 May.[28] Unknown number from 27 May to 5 July.
17 civilians and foreigners missing or kidnapped.[20] Four Pentecostal Church members executed.
1 Italian photojournalist and 1 Russian interpreter killed.[29]

The siege of Sloviansk was an operation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to recapture the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast from pro-Russian insurgents who had seized it on 12 April 2014. The city was taken back on 5 July 2014 after shelling from artillery and heavy fighting. The fighting in Sloviansk marked the first military engagement between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces in the Donbas War.

On 12 April 2014, as unrest grew in eastern Ukraine following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, masked men in fatigues, armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, took over the town and began to fortify it.[30] They claimed to be local fighters of the Donetsk People's Republic, but were actually Russian Armed Forces 'volunteers' under the command of Russian GRU colonel Igor Girkin ('Strelkov').[31][32] In response, the Ukrainian Yatsenyuk Government created the first Anti-Terrorist Operations zone (ATO) and launched a series of counter-offensives against the insurgents, resulting in a standoff and violent skirmishes.[33] Girkin later acknowledged that his men's seizure of Sloviansk started the Donbas War.[34]

As tensions in the city increased, the insurgents began to take journalists and others captive, instigating a hostage crisis.[35][36] The Security Service of Ukraine said on 18 April that "Sloviansk remains the hottest point in the region."[37] On 20 April, Right Sector was ordered by acting President Oleksandr Turchinov to sabotage an insurgent-controlled television tower, leading to the first combat fatalities.[38] By June, roughly 40% of the city's population had fled.[39] On 5 July, after the insurgents had retreated to Donetsk City, Ukrainian authorities retook control of the city.[40]

History edit

Further information: War in Donbas (2014–2022)

Seizure of government buildings edit

 
DPR-affiliated Cossack National Guard occupying Sloviansk city council, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and RPG-26 rocket launchers.

On 12 April, a fifty-strong unit of heavily-armed pro-Russian militants[31] captured Sloviansk's administration building, police station, and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) building, and set up roadblocks with the help of local armed activists.[31][30][41] The unit were Russian Armed Forces 'volunteers' under the command of Russian GRU colonel Igor Girkin ('Strelkov').[31][32] They had been sent from Russian-occupied Crimea and wore no insignia.[31] According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, gunmen fired indiscriminately on the administration building.[42] Raiding the police armoury, the militants seized at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons. "The aim of the takeover was the guns," a Ukrainian police statement said. "They are giving these guns to participants in the protest in Sloviansk.".[43] After takeover of the city by militants, Sloviansk mayor Nelya Shtepa briefly appeared at an occupied police station and expressed support for the militants.[30] Others gathered outside the building and similarly voiced their support. They told Ukrainian journalists who were reporting on the situation to "go back to Kyiv".[30] Nelya Shtepa was later arrested by the insurgents, and replaced by the self-proclaimed "people's mayor" Vyacheslav Ponomarev.[citation needed]

Girkin said that this action sparked the Donbas War. He said "I'm the one who pulled the trigger of war. If our unit hadn't crossed the border, everything would have fizzled out, like in Kharkiv, like in Odessa".[34] He explained that "nobody there wanted to fight" until his unit seized Sloviansk.[44]

Government response edit

The following morning the Ukrainian government announced a counter-terrorism operation in the city.[33] An ultimatum was given for the separatists to disarm and surrender to authorities within 48 hours.[citation needed]

Police began the operation by clearing a highway checkpoint controlled by separatists. A group of insurgents exited their vehicle and opened fire on the Ukrainian police, killing two SBU officers and injuring several Ukrainian military personnel. One separatist was also killed in the shootout, while the remainder fled into the woods. The car the gunmen were in had a Poltava Oblast license plate, which was traced to the private security firm Yavir. In an unrelated shootout in the city itself, two people were shot dead by an assailant in plainclothes, and another was wounded.[45]

By the next day Sloviansk was reported to be under pro-Russian control, with more important government buildings and other areas taken by the militants. The Ukrainian army ground forces were deployed on the same day, after the separatists declined the ultimatum to lay down their arms. Two civilians were shot and killed at point blank range by pro-Russian militants in a car in Sloviansk; another one was wounded.[46]

 
Masked armed men walking around the city

First offensive edit

Ukrainian forces launched their first military offensive to regain control of the Kramatorsk regional air base, using transport helicopters and armoured vehicles. Militants attempted to regain control of the airport, resulting in heavy fighting, but were not successful. Russian media estimated that this clash resulted in between four and eleven deaths.[citation needed] The leader of the government military operation, General Vasyl Krutov, was attacked by pro-Russian sympathizers after addressing a crowd demonstrating in front of the air base. Ukrainian armoured units were reported to be encircling Sloviansk to blockade all approach routes.[47]

 
Armed militiamen occupying the council building on 14 April.

First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Yarema claimed that elements of the 45th Russian airborne division were seen in the Sloviansk area on 16 April.[13] Six Ukrainian armoured vehicles drove through Sloviansk bearing Russian flags, after their crews had apparently defected to the separatist cause.[48] The 25th Airborne Brigade that had been blockading Sloviansk was then disbanded on orders of Ukraine's president. The government announced that the soldiers responsible would be court martialled.[48][49]

On 18 April, Sloviansk "people's mayor" Vyacheslav Ponomarev announced a "hunt" for Ukrainian speakers in the Donetsk region, commanding the militants to report suspicious activity, especially if they heard that the Ukrainian language was used.[50]

Ukrainian media claimed that the Zhytomyr Armoured Brigade recaptured two of the six armoured vehicles near Kramatorsk late on 18 April. No fatalities were recorded while one separatist was wounded.[51] Following negotiations, a compromise was reached to return the remaining four BMDs to the Ukrainian military,[52] but an official from the Ministry of Defence announced that the vehicles were still in the hands of the rebels as of 23 April.[53]

In a later interview, Igor Strelkov, the commander of the pro-Russian forces at Sloviansk, claimed that they had six armoured vehicles, including a BMD-1, BMD-2, and a mortar carrier.[54]

Easter truce edit

 
Barricade in the city

A truce for Easter was called by the Ukrainian government, which promised to temporarily halt military action in eastern Ukraine on 19 April.[citation needed]

Pro-Russian members of the Donbass People's Militia began a pogrom targeting the Romani population of the town. According to the International Renaissance Foundation, a Ukrainian NGO, separatist militiamen entered houses inhabited by Romanis, beat the residents, including women and children, and stole their property.[55] The militants claimed they were acting on orders from "people's mayor" and militant leader Vyacheslav Ponomarev.[56] Reports of the attacks were confirmed by Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, as well as a heightened level of xenophobic rhetoric at separatist rallies.[57] Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the government will not tolerate incitement of ethnic hatred and instructed law enforcement agencies to identify those involved in the attacks on Romani.[56][57] According to Ponomarev, he held talks with Romani who he alleged were involved in drug trafficking, and "removed them from the city." Ponomarev said the incidents were not attacks on Romani, but rather "cleaning drugs out of the city."[58]

Separatists kidnapped Euromaidan activist and journalist Irma Krat who had arrived in the city to cover the conflict. They later paraded her blindfolded in front of the press.[59]

On 20 April, 20 Right Sector members led by Dmytro Yarosh were covertly sent by acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov to destroy the transformer of the Slavyansk television station on Karachun mountain. When their four-car convoy attempted to pass an insurgent-controlled checkpoint, a gunfight broke out, leading to the first combat fatalities of the conflict.[38] Subsequently, the insurgents' claimed that they were attacked by Right Sector,[60] but this was denied by the Kyiv government until two years later, when Dmytro Yarosh admitted that it was true. The two accounts continue to differ on which side shot first.[60][38]

Pro-Russian civilians in Sloviansk, 13 April 2014

The pro-Russian separatists in Sloviansk claimed to have confiscated firearms including a German World War II-era MG-42 machine gun, a night vision device, aerial photos of Sloviansk, military uniforms, camping tools, US cash, and an alleged Right Sector business card of presidential candidate Dmytro Yarosh.[60][61] Right Sector symbols including a medallion were also claimed to have been found. Right Sector spokesman Artem Skoropadsky denied the group's involvement in the attack, and blamed Russian special forces for it.[62] "We don't have ID cards with numbers. We only have ID cards with letters, where we mention the department where the person works," said Boryslav Bereza, head of the information department for Right Sector. CNN called the phone number on the calling card and reached a woman who expressed surprise at the situation. She said that she was in Kyiv and had no relation to anyone in Right Sector.[60] Viktoriya Siumar, deputy head of Ukraine's National Security Council, said the shooting was being investigated, but that there were indications that it was "an argument between local criminal groups".[63]

Sky News correspondent Katie Stallard said there were inconsistencies in the separatists' accounts and there was no coherent evidence to back up their claims.[64] Daniel Sandford of the BBC described the evidence presented as "dubious".[63]

 
Barricades at entrance to a captured government building

The video released by Russian TV which claimed to show the identifying badges of the Right Sector turned out to have been filmed ten hours before the actual attack took place, as evidenced by the time stamp, which the Russian camera crew forgot to remove.[65]

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said at least three separatists were killed and three wounded in what it suspected might have been an incident set up by Russian agents. "Armed lawbreakers and saboteurs who are terrorizing the local population around Slaviansk ... have turned to cynical provocation," the SBU security service said in a statement, describing the incident as a "staged attack". No group was present "other than the saboteurs and crime figures, supported and armed by officers of Russia's GRU" military intelligence, the SBU added. They also noted "One cannot but suspect the speed with which camera crews from Russian TV stations appeared at the scene of the shooting, and the obviously staged subject matter of news reports in the Russian media."[62] The alleged Dmytro Yarosh business card was widely mocked on Ukrainian and Russian social media.[66] In 2016, on the two-year anniversary of the attack, Dmytro Yarosh talked to Censor.net, corroborating that he did in fact lead the attack (though the actual combat leader was an unnamed Afghan national), and gave a detailed account of it.[38]

Following the incident, "people's mayor" Ponomarev appealed to Russia to intervene militarily.[67] Ponomarev then instituted a curfew in the city.[68]

It was later reported that the man killed at the checkpoint was Pavel Pavelko, a resident of the surrounding area.[69]

 
Civilians block Ukrainian military near Sloviansk, April 2014
 
Vehicle near Sloviansk with Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) markings

OSCE monitors were barred from the city by the separatists on 21 April. An OSCE team "has been in Donetsk but has not yet made progress," one diplomat said. "They are trying to get back into Slovyansk, but pro-Russian demonstrators have been blocking the way." An OSCE assessment released Monday described the situation as "very tense" in Donetsk and as "deteriorating" in Sloviansk, where "the entire town is under the control of armed groups."[70]

Ukrainian officials distributed photos to the U.N and U.S councils allegedly showing that pro-Russian militants were undercover Russian special forces. Other photos showed militants equipped and dressed the same as Russian soldiers in Crimea.[71]

A Ukrainian military surveillance plane was damaged by small arms fire as it was on a reconnaissance flight over Sloviansk on 21 April, but safely made an emergency landing. None of the crew members were hurt.[72][73] American journalist Simon Ostrovsky from Vice News was held captive by militants in the city.[74][35]

Military operation resumes edit

On 23 April Ukraine's Interior Ministry said it had cleared separatist forces out of the nearby city of Sviatohirsk and that no one was injured. "During the anti-terrorism operation by special forces, the city was freed," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website. "Currently Sviatohirsk and its surroundings are being patrolled by police."[75]

Ponomarev promised to prevent presidential elections in Ukraine at any cost. He said, "We will take all necessary measures so that elections in the southeast do not take place". Asked how he would accomplish this, he responded, "We'll take somebody as hostage and hang him by the balls." He also promised to destroy dissent, calling it "a harsh truth of life."[76]

On 24 April, Ukrainian troops took control of three checkpoints surrounding the city, and according to the Interior Ministry, five separatists were killed and one police officer wounded in the attacks. The checkpoints were burned. Ukrainian forces distributed leaflets to residents of Sloviansk encouraging them to remain peaceful, and the Ministry reported that Ponomarev had announced that anyone seen with the leaflet would be "shot on the spot."[77]

The leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic told Interfax-Ukraine that "a combined arms operation has been launched in Sloviansk. This means only one thing: a civil war." Ukrainian officials said that the counter-insurgency operation intended to retake all of Sloviansk the same day, but an increased threat of a Russian invasion halted the operation – Russian forces moved to within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of the Ukrainian border. The government confirmed seven were killed during the operation.[77]

Ukrainian Forces surrounded Sloviansk supported by multiple armoured columns, and warned civilians to stay indoors ahead of a planned offensive on 25 April. The pro-Russian militant commander Ponomarev threatened to turn Sloviansk into a "Stalingrad" if Ukrainian troops were to enter the town. He also reported that only one checkpoint to the east of Sloviansk remained under separatist control, while the rest had been captured the previous day.[citation needed]

Government blockade edit

Ukrainian authorities said that the second phase of the military operation in Sloviansk would include blockading the city to prevent any reinforcements from entering.[78]

In the city, it was reported that pro-Russian militants had beaten children whom they caught photographing a separatist checkpoint. The news caused a backlash in residents' opinions of the militants.[79] BBC journalist Natalia Antelava was threatened at gunpoint by members of the Donbass People's Militia while attempting to interview locals.[80]

Russian media, citing Russian Ministry of Defense analysis, reported that Ukrainian forces planned to wipe out the entire population of the city;[81] this was denounced as propaganda in the Ukrainian press.[82] On 26 April, the Ukrainian troops blockading the city began erecting checkpoints on roads leading to Sloviansk.[citation needed]

On 28 April, self-proclaimed "deputy mayor" of Sloviansk, Igor Perepechayenko, was arrested by SBU officers. Officials claimed Perepechayenko had been establishing contact with the General staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the GRU, and was arrested at the Donetsk airport while returning from a flight from Moscow.[83]

Residents reported that gunmen from the Donbas militia began extorting shop owners in the local market for "rent" and had begun stealing expensive cars.[84]

Second offensive edit

 
Locals look at a destroyed truck next to the Sloviansk sign

During the early morning on 2 May, Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale operation to retake the city.[85] There were reports of gunfire, explosions, and a military helicopter opening fire. Separatists said one helicopter had been shot down,[85][86] and one of the pilots captured.[87] A commander at a separatist checkpoint told the Russian News & Information Agency that government forces took control of another of the roadblocks on the outskirts of Sloviansk, as well as the city's television broadcasting centre. A police station was reportedly re-captured, while the city centre remained quiet. Several armoured vehicles were seen outside the city.[88][unreliable source?] Separatist authorities claim that three militants and two civilians were killed in the clashes. The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that up to nine checkpoints around Sloviansk had been seized. They also acknowledged the shooting down of two Mi-24 helicopters and the death of two airmen.[89] Seven servicemen were wounded.[90][unreliable source?] The pilot of one of the Mi-24s, badly wounded, was captured by pro-Russian forces.[91][unreliable source?]

The fighting died down by afternoon,[89] but by the evening separatists launched a counteroffensive that killed two Ukrainian paratroopers at Andriivka, southwest of Sloviansk.[92] Ukrainian National Guard Commander Stepan Poltorak said that the town had been practically cleared of terrorists.[93]

After the helicopters were shot down, Ukrainian authorities stated that this had been done with Russian man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).[94] Jane's Information Group editor and military analyst Nicholas de Larrinaga says that the use of "MANPADS outside of formal armed forces has historically been very rare" and that the type used was an Igla model, either the earlier 9K310 Igla-1 (SA-16 'Gimlet'), or the later 9K38 Igla (SA-18 'Grouse'), which are in service with both the Ukrainian and Russian armed forces.[91] An independent Russian military journalist, Pavel Felgenhauer, said that the effective usage of MANPADS in Ukraine proved not only that the people who used it were specially trained, but that the weaponry was supplied by Russia. According to Felgenhauer, Soviet MANPADS would not be functioning right away, as they were equipped with a short-lived battery. On the other hand, MANPADS of the Ukrainian army (type Igla) would not hit a Ukrainian helicopter, because such systems have a friend-or-foe identification ability.[95]

During the fighting, about one hundred civilians gathered outside the city hall to appeal for Russian intervention.[96]

On 5 May, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced that Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting with pro-Russian separatists on the outskirts of the city, and said the separatists, numbering as many as 800, fired "large-caliber weapons," and "used mortars and other equipment." Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and twenty more were wounded in the fighting. He claimed 30 "terrorists" were killed, and dozens wounded. Strelkov, a Donbas Militia leader, told the Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti that "We lost around 10, including peaceful residents, and 20–25 were wounded."[citation needed] According to a statement on the Interior Ministry's website, separatists used unarmed civilians as human shields as they attacked Ukrainian troops and set fire to nearby buildings, and fired at a minibus carrying wounded people from the battlefield, killing an officer in a special police unit who was escorting it. Pro-Russian insurgents also shot down a Ukrainian M-24 helicopter in Sloviansk using a heavy machine gun.[97][98][99]

Post-referendum edit

Main article: 2014 Donbas status referendums

Following the referendum on the status of Donetsk Oblast, on 12 May, Donbass People's Militia leader Igor Girkin declared himself "Supreme Commander" of the Donetsk People's Republic. In his decree, he demanded all military stationed in the region swear an oath of allegiance to him within 48 hours, and said that war would be waged upon those who did not.[100] This was followed on 15 May by a deputy of Strelkov issuing a second ultimatum at a press conference, giving Ukraine 24 hours to withdraw its troops from Donetsk.[101] On the 23rd, he urged all residents of the city to evacuate, saying that artillery would be used.[102]

Throughout this time, attacks by both sides continued. These included a separatist attack on a Ukrainian convoy near Kramatorsk on 13 May which killed seven Ukrainian paratroopers[103][104] and a disputed number of separatists,[105][106] and mortar attacks on Ukrainian positions at Mount Karachun, near Sloviansk, on 19 and 20 May leaving one Ukrainian soldier dead and seven wounded.[107][108]

Ukrainian forces used artillery fire against Sloviansk and surrounding villages; pro-Russian sources said that three villages including Semenivka were damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire on 19 May,[109] and it was also reported that two civilians were killed by artillery fire in Sloviansk itself on 26 May, and three on 7 June.[110] The following day, 120 children were evacuated from the city.[111]

The Ukrainian military also used both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft over Sloviansk throughout May and June which suffered a number of losses, the most serious being the shooting down of an Mi-8 helicopter on 29 May, killing 12 including the helicopter's crew, six representatives of the Berkut special task force, and Ukrainian National Guard general Serhiy Kulchytskiy.[3][112] Two helicopters were downed on 3 June,[113][114] an An-30 surveillance aircraft was shot down on 6 June,[23][115] and another helicopter on 24 June, a day after the agreement to a week-long ceasefire, killing all nine on board.[116]

Separatists made repeated attacks on the checkpoints that the Ukrainian forces had set up on roads leading out of Sloviansk, inflicting and suffering casualties without taking the positions. On 24 May, an attack with mortars, RPGs and small arms killed two Ukrainian soldiers,[117] while a mortar attack on 7 June left one dead.[118] An attack with mortars and automatic grenade launchers and mortars on 28 June killed three Ukrainian servicemen.[119]

On 3 June, the Ukrainian military launched a new offensive against Sloviansk and the nearby village of Semenivka. The fighting left at least ten separatists and two Ukrainian soldiers dead, and 42 Ukrainian soldiers and 12 separatists were wounded,[120][121] while one Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier was damaged.[120] A Ukrainian military convoy was attacked while moving south toward Sloviansk from Izyum.[120]

Divisions emerged within the separatist forces. On 27 May Girkin said that some of his men had engaged in looting of the city, and that in response he had had company commander Dmitry Slavov and platoon commander Nikolai Lukyanov executed.[122] Ponomarev was dismissed from his post and arrested by Strelkov on 10 June. "The so-called people's mayor Ponomarev has been dismissed for engaging in activities incompatible with the goals and tasks of the civil administration. I cannot provide further details for now," Strelkov said in his statement.[123]

On 21 June, a suspected agent allegedly recruited by the FSB was captured by the State Security Service near Sloviansk.[124]

President Poroshenko declared an end to the ceasefire at the end of June, after at least 27 Ukrainian servicemen were killed during it. A renewed government offensive followed, once again using heavy artillery and airstrikes. A TV tower on Mount Karachun was destroyed by shelling.[125][nb 1]

Insurgent withdrawal edit

 
Map of the DPR retreat from Sloviansk and other cities

DPR militants retreated from Sloviansk on 5 July. According to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, he personally gave the order for the Ukrainian flag to be raised over the town. Separatists and Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov both said that a portion of the rebels, including Girkin, military commander of the DPR, were retreating from Sloviansk. Avakov claimed that the separatists were "suffering losses and surrendering", and had lost one tank and four armoured vehicles in the retreat. Associated Press quoted Andrei Purgin, a spokesman for the separatists' self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, as saying the rebels were evacuating. A rebel commander said that they were falling back to Kramatorsk.[127] Captured hostages claimed to have freed themselves from Sloviansk's main police station, and confirmed the rebel retreat.[127] According to Girkin, 80-90 percent of his men had escaped from Sloviansk.[128] On 11 July spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Lysenko claimed Ukrainian security forces had not destroyed the retreating military column because they had received information that the separatists were using human shields.[129]

On 5 July, the Ukrainian flag was hoisted over the city council building.[127][130][131] Several hostages, including Mayor Nelia Shtepa, were freed.[132]

Aftermath edit

Main article: Timeline of the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine § 5 July

Following the liberation of Sloviansk, in the same weekend (5–6 July), government forces took control of several other towns in northern Donetsk Oblast: Kramatorsk,[127] Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka[133] and Bakhmut.[134]

On 11 July, Sloviansk's Mayor Nelya Shtepa was arrested for an "attack on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine".[135]

On 24 July, Human Rights Watch reported that Ukrainian authorities found and exhumed a mass grave in the city.[136]

Hostages and abductions edit

A number of people have been abducted during the conflict, some as hostages.

Thirteen military international observers were referred to by insurgent leader Vyacheslav Ponomarev as "prisoners of war".[137][138] Ponomarev warned hostages would be killed if he came under attack.[139][140] As of 2 May, the Kyiv Post reported that 31 people remained missing or were hostages in Donetsk Oblast.[20]

Reported abductions edit

Journalists edit

  • Serhiy Shapoval – Journalist for the Volyn Post[141] (released)[142]
  • Yuri Lelyavsky – Journalist for ZIK channel news, held on suspicion of being a "provocateur"[143] (released)[144]
  • Irma Krat – Leader of Maidan's "Women Hundred", Editor-in-chief of Hidden Truth TV, held for "war crimes" and "suspicion of torturing and killing a Berkut riot police officer."[145][146] Residents of Sloviansk freed Krat after her captors left the city.[147]
  • Serhiy Lefter – Journalist, held on suspicion of "espionage and co-operation with Right Sector"[145][146][148] (released)[149]
  • Yevhen Hapych – Journalist from the Ivano Frankivsk Oblast town of Kolomyia[145] (released)[150]
  • Clarissa Ward – Journalist for CBS News (detained and released)[151]
  • Mike Giglio – Journalist for Buzzfeed (kidnapped and released)[152]
  • Simon Ostrovsky – Russian-born American journalist for Vice News, held on suspicion of being a Right Sector informant (released)[145][146]
  • Paul Gogo – French journalist (released)[145][146]
  • Cosimo Attanasio – Italian journalist (released)[145][146]
  • Dmitry Galko – Belarusian journalist (released)[145][146]

Public officials edit

Other edit

  • Yuri Popravko – A 19-year-old student from Kyiv, murdered along with Rybak. His body was found in the river.[145][153] Popravko's friends later admitted that Yuri was a member of the Right Sector and arrived in Slavyansk together with other Right Sector members. They brought with them arms, shot at a car that had been driving them and attacked a checkpoint with a grenade.[154][155]
  • Valeriy Salo – Head of the Prosvita in Krasny Lyman, captured by Donetsk Republic members. His body was found in Luhansk region along with a torched car.[156]
  • Artem Deyneha – A Sloviansk resident, he was kidnapped after he was observed setting up a webcam from the balcony of his family's apartment overlooking the occupied SBU building.[145][148]
  • Vitaliy Kovalchuk. He attempted to capture guns from militants in Sloviansk.[148] Initial statements that he was a member of Right Sector were contradicted by later reports.[157][158]
  • Denis Grishchuk – A volunteer at the "Mystetskyi Arsenal" art center, abducted by Sloviansk separatists on 25 April.[159] Released during insurgent withdrawal.[160]
  • Pavel Yurov – A theatre director, abducted by Sloviansk separatists on 25 April.[159] Released during insurgent withdrawal.[160]
  • Vasily Nesterenko, a man abducted on 6 May 2014 while bringing food to the Ukrainian army.[147]

International military observers edit

Ukrainian military and security edit

  • Five representatives of the Ukrainian armed forces were also detained along with the OSCE mission (released)[165]
  • Ponomarev and Russian media claim that separatists have captured 40 additional Ukrainian soldiers.[166]
  • Pro-Russian militants in Horlivka captured three SBU officers (LTC Rostyslav Kiyashko, MAJ Serhiy Potemsky, CPT Yevhen Verinsky), who were held in the SBU building in Sloviansk and publicly interrogated at a press conference, with a video of the interrogation being posted on YouTube. They were later released on 7 May in exchange for separatist leader Pavel Gubarev (released)[167][168]
  • Yuriy Zahrebelny – Prosecutor of Sloviansk (Zahrebelny was released following interrogation)[145]
  • Vitaliy Kolupai – Kramatorsk chief of police. Pro-Russian militants demanded weapons and arms in exchange for the police colonel's release[145]
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Oleg Prokhorov – Sloviansk chief of police (whereabouts unknown)[145]

Murder of Volodymyr Rybak edit

Ukraine's acting president relaunched military operations against pro-Russian militants in the east after two men, one a local politician, were found tortured to death. The politician, Volodymyr Ivanovych Rybak, from the Batkivshchyna party, was found near Sloviansk.[72] Both men had the same cause of death: "combined injuries due to torture and death by drowning while unconscious." Rybak was kidnapped by four pro-Russian militants in camouflage after he took part in a "For a United Ukraine" demonstration near the Horlivka city council building – he was found in the river with a backpack filled with sand around his back and gutted.[169] A statement by Ukraine's SBU state security service implicated Igor Bezler and Igor Strelkov – whom it describes as senior officers in Russia's GRU military intelligence services which is leading the pro-Russian separatist movement in eastern Ukraine – in Rybak's murder.[170]

Rybak's wife, Elena, claimed at a news conference that the checkpoints into the city of Horlivka were manned by Chechen militants, and they would not allow her to enter the city to identify his body.[12]

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) released a YouTube video implicating Bezler with an alleged audio recording. In it, he allegedly orders a subordinate to abduct Rybak, tie his hands and blindfold him, and then drive him to a remote place so that he could rendezvous with the captors. In the second part of the recording, Russian Military Intelligence Colonel Strelkov calls Ponomarev to take care of (Rybak's) body because it "is lying here and beginning to smell." In response, Ponomarev complies, and says he will come to take the body and "organize the burial of this rooster."[171]

Abduction of Simon Ostrovsky edit

On 22 April, Simon Ostrovsky of Vice News was detained by pro-Russian separatists.[35][145] "We had been looking into whether there were actual Russians involved in what's going on here – for the two days prior to me being captured," Ostrovsky said. "I had been phoning them and requesting interviews with them on that subject so maybe that's why they decided it was time to stop me." Recounting the experience, he claimed, "They beat me up as an introduction to the whole situation, blindfolded me, tied my hands behind my back," Ostrovsky said. "Then they eventually untied them and I was just hanging out in the room with the other prisoners."[172] Ostrovsky says his captors accused him of working for the CIA and FBI, and that during his stay "a dozen other nameless detainees were ferried in and out of the cellar of the Ukraine state security (SBU) building by the pro-Russia militants" and that many had been there for up to two weeks.[148]

When I refused to give the password to my laptop, I was smacked in the arm with a truncheon. When I was asleep on the floor, masked men came to wake me up and tell me how no one would miss me if I died, and then kicked me in the ribs as they left.

When asked of his whereabouts during a press conference, self-appointed "people's mayor" Ponomarev said "nobody abducted him, nobody is holding him hostage, he's with us now in at the SBU, preparing material and working."[35]

Stella Khoraeva, a spokeswoman for pro-Russian insurgents, told the Associated Press that Ostrovsky was "fine" and "suspected of bad activities," but refused to explain. She added that the pro-Russian group was conducting an investigation into Ostrovsky's activities.[145] Khoraeva then said Ostrovsky was initially captured for spying on behalf of Ukrainian ultra-nationalists.[146] Ponomarev reciprocated this claim, saying "According to our information, he is an informer of the Right Sector."[173] Later, she said that the insurgents had planned to take Ostrovsky, which was prompted from his "incorrect way" of reporting. "We knew where he was going and the men manning the checkpoint were told to look out for him," she said.[146]

Ponomarev has said his arrest was "so he wouldn't put out a lot of provocative commentary, so he wouldn't conduct hostile activity on our territory. In the final analysis, he is an undesirable element in our area." When asked when he would be released, he said he would be released "when we consider it necessary for him to get out." He also reiterated that he is not a hostage, but that they were 'defining his place of stay, so to speak.'[174] The self-styled mayor then said that Ostrovsky could be released in a trade: "We need captives. We need a bargaining chip. Many of our comrades are imprisoned. Those guys [Ukrainians] are grabbing them, then taking them to Kyiv and torturing them. So then, we're doing the very same thing. That is, in the sense that we're taking captives," said Ponomarev.[175]

Jen Psaki, the US State Department spokeswoman, said US authorities are "deeply concerned" about the situation and are working to resolve it. "We condemn any such actions, and all recent hostage-takings in eastern Ukraine".[146]

On 24 April, Ostrovsky was released.[176]

International military observers detained edit

On 25 April near Sloviansk, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry lost contact with military inspectors from OSCE[177] participating states. The group, on an inspection mission under the Vienna Document on military transparency, was made up of three German soldiers, a German translator, and military observers from Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden and Denmark, a ministry spokesman said.[161] "In Donetsk region communication has been lost with members of the OSCE military verification mission ... According to preliminary reports, they could be captured by terrorists," the director of the ministry's information policy department, Yevhen Perebyinis, said at a briefing.[178] The Interior Ministry later confirmed that 13 people (seven members from OSCE countries, five Ukrainian military representatives, and the driver) had been taken hostage by pro-Russian militants and held in the SBU building.[179] Ponomarev says he believes the detained military observers have a Kyiv "spy" in their group. "People who come here as observers for the European community bringing with them a real spy – that is inappropriate," Ponomarev told reporters.[180] He also claimed the detention was due to the bus having "banned ammunition on board,"[181] and he along with Russian media accused the observers of being "NATO officers."[182] The separatists have said they refuse to release the hostages until they meet with "competent authorities in Russia".[183] Igor Strelkov, commander of the separatist militia, accused the monitors of being "NATO spies," and that they would only be exchanged for pro-Russian "activists" held in custody in Kyiv.[184] On 3 May, following the second offensive on Sloviansk, the observers along with five Ukrainian observers were released. The SBU then released what they described as a tapped phone call implicating Russia in the abduction, naming specifically Vladimir Lukin and Igor Girkin.[185]

OSCE special monitoring mission observers edit

On 29 May, Ponomarev admitted that he and his men were holding four OSCE observers, promising that they would be freed soon, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. He said they were detained for being "most-zealous." The OSCE said it had lost contact with one of its four-person monitoring teams in Donetsk on Monday evening. His men had previously kidnapped OSCE monitors in eastern Ukraine.[186]

Notable figures edit

  • Alexander Mozhaev ("Babay" or "Bogeyman", Russian: Александр Иванович Можаев), a Russian military veteran from Belorechensk. Mozhaev with his distinctive beard has appeared in many circulated pictures as a member of the Donbass People's Militia in Sloviansk, and allegedly led the assault on a weapons depot in Artemivsk (today Bakhmut).[9][187]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ According to Interfax-Ukraine this destruction did not influence (TV channels) broadcasting as the tower was already out of service.[126]

References edit

  1. ^ See Russian military intervention in Ukraine
  2. ^ Ukraine crisis: Rebels 'abandon Sloviansk stronghold' 5 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 5 July 2014
  3. ^ a b "Ukraine army helicopter shot down near Sloviansk". BBC News. 29 May 2014. from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  4. ^ Экс-мэр Славянска Пономарев покинул город вместе с ополчением 21 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, RIA Novosty, 5 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Сепаратисты Славянска перешли под контроль российского спецназовца Стрелкова – СМИ: Новости УНИАН". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Semyonovka May-June 2014". YouTube. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  7. ^ "Who was Vladimir Zhoga? Russian 'neo-Nazi' warlord known for his brutality killed in Ukraine".
  8. ^ "Один из лидеров ополчения Славянска "Ромашка" погиб". 3 May 2014. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  9. ^ a b Shuster, Simon (24 April 2014). "Exclusive: Meet the Pro-Russian Separatists of Eastern Ukraine". Time. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Сепаратисты контратакуют. В Славянске погибли еще двое украинских военных". Korrespondent.net. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  11. ^ Tom Balmforth (16 October 2014). "Insult Evolves into Homage As Donetsk Airport Defenders Dubbed 'Cyborgs'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  12. ^ a b "На блок-постах возле Славянска стоят вооруженные чеченцы – очевидец : Новости УНИАН". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 24 April 2014. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  13. ^ a b Rudnitsky, Jake; Neuger, James; Choursina, Kateryna (15 April 2014). "Ukraine Deploys Military as Russia Evokes Specter of Civil War". Bloomberg News. from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  14. ^ "РИА Новости публикует снимки, запечатлевшие войска Украины у Славянска". 26 April 2014. from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  15. ^ Military.com (5 May 2014). "Ukrainian Helo Shot Down in Sloviansk". from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  16. ^ "Ukraine soldiers killed in Slovyansk clashes". from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  17. ^ . Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  18. ^ "A day of humiliation as Ukrainian military offensive stalls, six armored vehicles seized". Kyiv Post. 16 April 2014. from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  19. ^ a b Книга пам'яті загиблих [Memorial Book to the Fallen]. Herman Shapovalenko, Yevhen Vorokh, Yuriy Hirchenko (in Ukrainian). from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  20. ^ a b c d "Thirty-one people remain abducted or missing in Donetsk Oblast". Kyiv Post. 2 May 2014. from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e f "Aviation Safety Network". 29 June 2014. from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Ukraine army helicopter shot down near Sloviansk, 12 dead - BBC News". BBC News. 29 May 2014. from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  23. ^ a b "В штабе АТО уточняют, что 6 июня боевики сбили АН-30Б, который совершал наблюдательный полет". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 8 June 2014. from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  24. ^ "Ukraine helicopters shot down in Slovyansk". Al Jazeera. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  25. ^ 1 killed (13 April),[1] 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed (19 April),[2] 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine 5 killed (24 April), 3 killed (2 May),[4] 15 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 [5] 8 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine–30 [6] 18 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine killed (5 May), 2 killed (27 May),[7] 28 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 10 killed (4 June).[8] 6 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine Total of 34–54 reported killed.
  26. ^ "'Four arrests' after Slaviansk helicopter attacks kill two". Itv.com. 28 April 2014. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  27. ^ "BBC News - Ukraine crisis: Donetsk rebels in mass withdrawal". BBC News. 5 July 2014. from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  28. ^ 2 killed (13 April),[9] 15 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (14 April),[10] 25 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (22 April),[11] 8 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (28 April),[12] 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (2 May),[13] 15 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine 1 [14] 8 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine–3 [15] 6 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine killed (5 May), 4 killed (26 May).[16] 30 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Total of 14–16 reported killed.
  29. ^ . The Guardian. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  30. ^ a b c d Rachkevych, Mark (12 April 2014). "Armed pro-Russian extremists launch coordinated attacks in Donetsk Oblast, seize buildings and set up checkpoints". Kyiv Post. from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  31. ^ a b c d e Arel, Dominique; Driscoll, Jesse, eds. (2023). Ukraine's Unnamed War. Cambridge University Press. pp. 138–140.
  32. ^ a b Wynnyckyj, Mychailo (2019). Ukraine's Maidan, Russia's War: A Chronicle and Analysis of the Revolution of Dignity. Columbia University Press. pp. 151–153.
  33. ^ a b Babiak, Mat (13 April 2014). . Official Public Relations Secretariat for the Headquarters of the National Resistance in Kyiv, Ukraine. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  34. ^ a b "Russia's Igor Strelkov: I Am Responsible for War in Eastern Ukraine". The Moscow Times. 21 November 2014.
  35. ^ a b c d Brian Ries2 :36 UTC (22 April 2014). "American Journalist With Vice News Captured in Eastern Ukraine". Mashable.com. from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ Grytsenko, Oksana (25 April 2014). "International observation mission held hostage in Sloviansk". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  37. ^ "Anti-terrorist campaign takes a different tack". Kyiv Post. 18 April 2014. from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  38. ^ a b c d ДМИТРО ЯРОШ: "ПЕРШИЙ НАСТУПАЛЬНИЙ БІЙ ВІЙНИ ВІДБУВСЯ 20 КВІТНЯ 2014-ГО - ДОБРОВОЛЬЦІ АТАКУВАЛИ БЛОКПОСТ ПІД СЛОВ'ЯНСЬКОМ" Archived 22 April 2016 at archive.today. Censor.net.ua. 2016-04-22.
  39. ^ "Ukraine News One: Slovyansk residents desert lawless separatist stronghold". Kyiv Post. 6 June 2014. from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  40. ^ Ukraine crisis: Bridges destroyed outside Donetsk 5 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News (7 July 2014)
  41. ^ "Аваков: В Славянске неизвестные захватили здания милиции". Komsomolskaya Pravda. 12 April 2014. from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  42. ^ (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Interior Ministry. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  43. ^ Oliphant, Roland (12 April 2014). "Fears of full-scale Russian invasion as eastern Ukraine cities toppled". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  44. ^ Bidder, Benjamin. "Russian Far-Right Idol: The Man Who Started the War in Ukraine". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 27 August 2015. But his big moment would only come later. In April 2014, Strelkov, joined by armed irregulars from Russia, marched from Crimea to the provincial city of Sloviansk, which is strategically located between the population centers of Donetsk and Kharkiv. "In the beginning, nobody there wanted to fight," Strelkov recalls. He and his men attacked a police station in Sloviansk and created facts on the ground.
  45. ^ "Counter-Terror Operation in Donetsk". Ukrainian Policy. 14 April 2014. from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  46. ^ "Two reportedly killed in point-blank attack on car in Sloviansk". Kyiv Post. 14 April 2014. from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  47. ^ . The State. Associated Press. 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  48. ^ a b "Turchynov orders traitor airborne division disbanded (LIVE UPDATES)". Kyiv Post. 17 April 2014. from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  49. ^ "Ukraine disbands army unit after fiasco push into east". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. 17 April 2014. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  50. ^ "Сепаратисты в Славянске объявили "охоту" на украиноязычных – СМИ : Новости УНИАН". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 18 April 2014. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  51. ^ Mark Rachkevych (19 April 2014). "Ukraine recaptures two airborne combat vehicles on eve of truce". Kyiv Post. from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  52. ^ "Українські військові переконали екстремістів повернути ще 4 БМД | Українська правда". Ukrayinska Pravda. from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  53. ^ Міноборони: У сепаратистів залишилися 4 БМД 26 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Ukrayinska Pravda, 23 April 2014
  54. ^ Стрєлков: "Ополченці" вбиватимуть українських військових, якщо ті надалі виконуватимуть свої обов'язки 28 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Ukrinform, 26 April 2014
  55. ^ "International Renaissance Foundation: Stop Ethnic Violance [sic] in Slovyansk! –". Romea.cz. 19 April 2014. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  56. ^ a b "Pro-Russian Separatists Loot, Assault Romani in Sloviansk". Ukrainian Policy. 19 April 2014. from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  57. ^ a b "Яценюк поручил привлекать к ответственности за распространение антисемитизма и ксенофобии : Новости УНИАН". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 19 April 2014. from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  58. ^ "Новости Донбасса :: Сепаратисты объяснили погромы ромов в Славянске". Novosti.dn.ua. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  59. ^ "У Слов'янську сепаратисти викрали активістку жіночої сотні Майдану | Українська правда". Ukrayinska Pravda. from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  60. ^ a b c d Lister, Tim (20 April 2014). "Mysterious fatal shooting in eastern Ukraine". CNN. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  61. ^ "US stands with Ukraine in face of 'humiliating threats': Biden – Yahoo News". Yahoo! News. 22 April 2014. from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  62. ^ a b "Ukraine forces accuse Russia of staging shooting". Reuters. 20 April 2014. from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  63. ^ a b James Reynolds (20 April 2014). "Ukraine unrest: Russian outrage at fatal Sloviansk shooting". BBC. from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  64. ^ "Ukraine: 'Five Killed at Separatist Checkpoint'". Sky News. 20 April 2014. from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  65. ^ Gregory, Paul Roderick (April 2014). "Putin Propagandists Caught Red-Handed Again: Pro-Russian Self-Defense Forces Capture Snipers' Diapers". Forbes. from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  66. ^ "Hashtag 'Yarosh's business card' blows the internet away". Euromaidan PR. 20 April 2014. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  67. ^ "Самопроголошений "народний мер" Слов'янська попросив Путіна ввести у регіон війська – ЗМІ : Новини УНІАН". Unian.ua. 20 April 2014. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  68. ^ "Самопровозглашенный мэр Славянска ввел комендантский час : Новости УНИАН". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 21 April 2014. from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  69. ^ Staff, About the Source Euromaidan Press (21 April 2014). "Sloviansk Shooting Victim Identified - April 20, 2014 -". Euromaidan Press. from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  70. ^ "Pro-Russian separatists block monitors from buildings in east Ukraine, diplomats say". The Washington Post. from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  71. ^ Higgins, Andrew (21 April 2014). "Photos Link Masked Men in East Ukraine to Russia". The New York Times. from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  72. ^ a b "Ukraine alert as politician killed". BBC. 22 April 2014. from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  73. ^ "News Republic". News Republic. 22 April 2014.
  74. ^ Matthew Keys. "Matthew Keys: [ALERT] Vice News journalist being held in Ukraine – App.net Broadcasts". Broadcast.app.net. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  75. ^ Canada (23 April 2014). "Ukraine has 'freed' eastern city, Kiev says as crackdown resumes". The Globe and Mail. from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  76. ^ Сепаратисты Славянска обещают пытать заложников, чтобы сорвать выборы : Новости УНИАН (in Russian). Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 23 April 2014. from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  77. ^ a b "Senior security official: Anti-terror operation suspended as Russian troops amass on border". Kyiv Post. 24 April 2014. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  78. ^ "Власть решила полностью заблокировать Славянск в рамках второго этапа АТО". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 25 April 2014. from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  79. ^ "Местные жители озлобились на сепаратистов: под Славянском избиты дети – ОстроВ". Ostro.org. from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  80. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Sloviansk resident tells of 'oppression'". BBC News. from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  81. ^ "РИА Новости публикует снимки, запечатлевшие войска Украины у Славянска | РИА Новости". RIA Novosti. from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  82. ^ "Російська пропаганда заявила про плани України стерти Слов'янськ з землі | Українська правда". Ukrayinska Pravda. 26 April 2014. from the original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  83. ^ ""Праву руку" ватажка терористів Слов'янська затримали з грошима Кремля в аеропорту – Політика – ТСН.ua". Tsn.ua. 28 April 2014. from the original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  84. ^ "Сепаратисти в Слов'янську захопили ринок, заправки і крадуть дорогі авто – очевидці – Новини України на 1+1 – ТСН.ua". Tsn.ua. 30 April 2014. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  85. ^ a b "Government forces 'move on Sloviansk'". BBC News. 2 May 2014. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  86. ^ . Trust.org. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  87. ^ Сепаратисти "взяли" українського льотчика 5 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Ukrayinska Pravda, 2 May 2014
  88. ^ "Militia spokesman says sweep operation underway against civilians in Slavyansk". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 2 May 2014. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  89. ^ a b Ukraine forces move against separatists; copters shot down, killing 2 26 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2014
  90. ^ Турчинов: спецоперация в Славянске разворачивается медленнее, чем хотелось бы 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. ITAR-TASS, 2 May 2014
  91. ^ a b de Larrinaga, Nicholas (3 May 2014). "Two Ukrainian Mi-24s shot down by MANPADS". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  92. ^ В Славянске погибли еще двое украинских военных 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Korrespondent.net, 2 May 2014
  93. ^ "National Guard commander tells Sloviansk practically cleared of terrorists". Kyiv Post. 2 May 2014. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  94. ^ Вертольоти під Слов'янськом збиті з ПЗРК російського виробництва – заступник міністра оборони (in Ukrainian). Корреспондент.net. 2 May 2014. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  95. ^ Журналист Павел Фельгенгауэр: использование ПЗРК доказывает, что боевое ядро в Славянске – это российский спецназ (in Russian). TV Rain. 2 April 2014. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  96. ^ "Dozens die in Odessa, rebels down Ukraine helicopters". Reuters. 2 May 2014. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  97. ^ Kyiv Post (5 May 2014). "Interior Ministry: Four Ukrainian soldiers killed, 30 wounded in anti-terrorist operation in Sloviansk (LIVE UPDATES)". Kyivpost.com. from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  98. ^ "За оцінками МВС, убито понад 30 терористів | Українська правда". Pravda.com.ua. 6 May 2014. from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  99. ^ "Ukraine President Poroshenko hails 'turning point'". www.bbc.com. BBC News Online. 5 July 2014. from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  100. ^ "Donetsk's Own Coup d'Etat". Ukrainian Policy. 12 May 2014. from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  101. ^ "Заместитель "Стрелка" выдвинул ультиматум украинской армии – 24 часа на вывод войск. Видеофакт | Обозреватель". Obozrevatel.com. 15 May 2014. from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  102. ^ ""Стрєлок" порадив мешканцям Слов'янська тікати з міста - Новини України на 1+1 - ТСН.ua". Tsn.ua. 23 May 2014. from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  103. ^ Christopher J. Miller (13 May 2014). "Rebel ambush near Kramatorsk kills seven Ukrainian paratroopers; one rebel dead (UPDATED)". Kyivpost.com. from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  104. ^ Допис by Dmitry Tymchuk. "Під Краматорськом силовики потрапили в засідку. Є загиблі | Українська правда". Pravda.com.ua. from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  105. ^ ЛIГАБiзнесIнформИнформационное агентство (13 May 2014). "В Нацгвардии сообщили об уничтожении 54-х террористов в Славянске". News.liga.net. from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  106. ^ Міноборони розповіло про втрати терористів під Краматорськом (in Ukrainian). Radio24.ua. from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  107. ^ Один украинский боец погиб, еще трое ранены в результате минометного обстрела под Славянском 23 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine. ZN, 19 May 2014
  108. ^ В результате обстрела под Славянском ранены 4 силовика – Тымчук 22 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Liga, 20 May 2014
  109. ^ Украинская артиллерия разрушила жилые дома в Славянске 26 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. NTV, 20 May 2014
  110. ^ "Donetsk separatists say three civilians killed in Ukrainian government shelling of Sloviansk". 7 June 2014. from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  111. ^ "Из Славянска эвакуировали более 100 детей - Новости Донбасса - Около 120 детей покинули Славянск, спасаясь от боевых действий | СЕГОДНЯ". Segodnya.ua. from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  112. ^ "National Guard says 12 Ukrainian security officers killed in helicopter shot down near Sloviansk". Kyivpost.com. 29 May 2014. from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  113. ^ Volodymyr Verbyany; Julianna Goldman; Daria Marchak (3 June 2014). "Ukraine Fortifies Russian Border as Death Toll Climbs". bloomberg.com. bloomberg.com. from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  114. ^ Meyer, Henry; Verbyany, Volodymyr; Marchak, Daria (4 June 2014). "Putin Offers to Meet Obama as East Ukraine Battles Rage". Bloomberg News. from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  115. ^ "Videos show Ukrainian surveillance plane shot down by MANPADS (and crew jump from it)". 6 June 2014. from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  116. ^ David Stern (24 June 2014). "Ukraine army helicopter shot down despite ceasefire". BBC. from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  117. ^ Террористы в Славянске пошли в наступление: Двое военных Украины убиты 27 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Podrobnosti, 24 May 2014 
  118. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Moscow and Kiev seek 'end to bloodshed' - BBC News". BBC News. 6 June 2014. from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  119. ^ "Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council report: June 29 | EUROMAIDAN PRESS | News and Opinion from Across Ukraine". Euromaidan Press. 29 June 2014. from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  120. ^ a b c "Two Ukrainian troops killed in battles with insurgents on June 3; OSCE says Luhansk blast on June 2 likely caused by airstrike (UPDATES, VIDEO)". 3 June 2014. from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  121. ^ Michael Pearson; Azad Safarov; Victoria Butenko (4 June 2014). "Conflicting accounts in heightened eastern Ukraine fighting". CNN. from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  122. ^ "Стрелков признал, что его командиры в Славянске занимаются мародерством и похищением людей и он их за это расстреливает | 62.ua - Новости Донецка". 62.ua. 25 March 2009. from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  123. ^ "Strelkov: Sloviansk 'people's mayor' Ponomarev dismissed". Kyivpost.com. 10 June 2014. from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  124. ^ "Captured Russian mercenary near Sloviansk condemns Putin, asks for forgiveness". Kyiv Post. 21 June 2014. from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  125. ^ "Fighting Intensifies in Ukraine After Cease-Fire Is Ended". The New York Times. 1 July 2014. from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  126. ^ Poroshenko to visit Karachun Mountain in Donbas where new TV tower being built 6 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (6 July 2016)
  127. ^ a b c d "Ukraine crisis: Rebels 'abandon Sloviansk stronghold'". www.bbc.com. BBC World News. 5 July 2014. from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  128. ^ Balmforth, Richard (7 July 2014). "Ukraine tycoon pleads for city's safety after rebels vow to make stand". www.reuters.com. from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  129. ^ (in Ukrainian) Terrorists have to get out of Slavic, were covered by peaceful people - the National Security Council 11 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 July 2014)
  130. ^ . sprotyv.info (in Russian). Information Resistance. 5 July 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  131. ^ Славянск. Освобожденный горсовет изнутри. VIDEO 19 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Information Resistance, 6 July 2014, retrieved 2014-17-06.
  132. ^ (in Ukrainian) Shtepa released from captivity 8 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Ukrayinska Pravda (7 July 2014)
  133. ^ "BBC News - Ukraine says forces retake two more rebel-held cities". Bbc.com. 1 January 1970. from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  134. ^ "Ukrainian president hails breakthrough as Slavyansk seized from separatists". The Guardian. 6 July 2014. from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  135. ^ (in Ukrainian) Shtepa detained and escort convoys in Kharkiv 13 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 July 2014)
  136. ^ Yulia Gorbunova (24 July 2014). "Dispatches: Mass Grave Found in Eastern Ukraine | Human Rights Watch". Hrw.org. from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  137. ^ "Was passiert mit den "Kriegsgefangenen"?". Bild. 26 April 2014. from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  138. ^ "Rebellenchef nennt OSZE-Beobachter Kriegsgefangene". Bild. 26 April 2014. from the original on 12 June 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  139. ^ "LA Times". Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  140. ^ "Ukraine im Live-Ticker: Wie nahe steht die Ukraine am Krieg? - USA werfen Russland "Verdrehung der Tatsachen" vor - Politik Ausland" (in German). Bild.de. 24 April 2014. from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  141. ^ "У Слов'янську зник зв'язок із журналістом Сергієм Шаповалом". Telekritika.ua. 26 April 2014. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  142. ^ Olga Whiting (20 May 2014). "Separatists are demoralized. They can be finished off". Info Resist. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  143. ^ "Терористи у Слов янську захопили львівського журналіста | УКРІНФОРМ". Ukrinform.ua. 26 April 2014. from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  144. ^ "Ukrainian Journalist Yuri Lelyavsky Freed (Slovyansk-RiaNovosti Journo)". The Interpreter. 13 May 2014. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  145. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Tally of persons kidnapped by Russian-backed insurgents in Ukraine's east grows to 16". Kyiv Post. 23 April 2014. from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  146. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mintz, Zoe. "Full List of Journalists Captured in Ukraine: Simon Ostrovsky Among 7 Reporters Kidnapped". IB Times. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  147. ^ a b Vitkine, Benoît (6 July 2014). "Ukraine : le récit de la chute de Sloviansk, tournant de la guerre entre l'armée et les séparatistes". Le Monde (in French). from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  148. ^ a b c d e Ostrovsky, Simon (25 April 2014). "'I Had It Pretty Easy, Because I Was Let Go': Simon Ostrovsky on His Detention in Sloviansk". VICE NEWS. from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  149. ^ "Interview: Three Weeks A Hostage in Slovyansk". Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. 12 May 2014. from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  150. ^ "Дружина Гапича: Женю гамселив "Беркут", питали про Майдан | УКРІНФОРМ". Ukrinform.ua. 25 April 2014. from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  151. ^ "Press | Published by Interpreter_Mag". Pressimus. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  152. ^ Brian Ries:46 UTC (29 April 2014). "BuzzFeed Reporter Kidnapped in Ukraine: 'I Was Pretty Freaked Out'". Mashable.com. from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  153. ^ Kim Sengupta (26 April 2014). "Ukraine crisis: Death toll rises in a nation fearful of more bloodshed – Europe – World". The Independent. from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  154. ^ "Исповедь выжившего в Славянске пленника". VESTI UKRAINE. 2 June 2014. from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  155. ^ "Парень из Правого сектора: "Мы ездили в Славянск на разведку"". VESTI UKRAINE. 29 April 2014. from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  156. ^ T17:03+02:00 17:03 8 May 2014 (20 October 2012). "Dead body of Prosvita's leader in Donetsk region captured by 'Donetsk People's Republic' found in Luhansk region". En.interfax.com.ua. from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  157. ^ Russian channels for its propaganda used sportsman from Kyiv 27 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Ukrayinska Pravda. 22 April 2014
  158. ^ The Right Sector activist in Sloviansk appeared to be a fitness coach Kiev 2 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Segodnya. 22 April 2014
  159. ^ a b "These People Are Still Being Held by Armed Separatists in Ukraine". VICE News. 3 May 2014. from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  160. ^ a b "Украинские силовики освободили заложников в Славянске :: Происшествия". Top.rbc.ru. from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  161. ^ a b c d e f g h "German defence ministry-unable to contact observer mission in east Ukraine". Reuters. 25 April 2014. from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  162. ^ "Českému pozorovateli ve Slavjansku šlo o život, pohrozili mu, že poslouží jako živý štít" (in Czech). from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  163. ^ Командующий самообороной Славянска Игорь Стрелков: Задержанные наблюдатели — кадровые разведчики. Комсомольская правда (in Russian). 26 April 2014. from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  164. ^ Leonard, Peter (27 April 2014). "Observers held in Ukraine speak under armed guard". Associated Press. from the original on 30 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  165. ^ "Ukraine unrest: Abducted OSCE observers freed". BBC News. 3 May 2014. from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  166. ^ "Ополченцы задержали 40 украинских диверсантов в Славянске". Lifenews.ru. 25 April 2014. from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  167. ^ "Сепаратисти Горлівки кажуть, що захопили трьох "альфівців"". Theinsider.ua. 27 April 2014. from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  168. ^ Donetsk separatists took three Alpha agents 30 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Euronews. 27 April 2014
  169. ^ Mark Rachkevych (23 April 2014). "Police: Body of Pro-Ukrainian Horlivka City Councilman found dead in river". Kyiv Post. from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  170. ^ Olearchyk, Roman (23 April 2014). "Kiev implicates Russia in politician's murder". Financial Times. from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  171. ^ Paul Roderick Gregory (1 May 2014). "Paul Roderick Gregory: Putin's Ukrainian executioners worse than Stalin's". Kyivpost.com. from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  172. ^ "Simon Ostrovsky, U.S. journalist held in Ukraine, now free – World – CBC News". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 April 2014. from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  173. ^ "Журналист с двойным гражданством оказался информатором "Правого сектора"". NTV. 23 April 2014. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  174. ^ "American Journalist Under Investigation By Armed Gunmen in Slavyansk". The Interpreter. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  175. ^ ""Народный мэр" Славянска не собирается отпускать американского журналиста". Gazeta. 23 April 2014. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  176. ^ "Simon Ostrovsky Has Been Released". VICE News. News.vice.com. 24 April 2014. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  177. ^ "Latest from the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine – based on information received up until 25 April 2014". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 26 April 2014. from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  178. ^ Interfax-Ukraine (25 April 2014). "Kyiv official: Contact lost with OSCE mission members in Donetsk region, they could be abducted by terrorists". Kyiv Post. from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  179. ^ . Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.. Mvs.gov.ua. Retrieved 4 May 2014
  180. ^ "Separatist leader in Ukraine city says Kiev "spy" is in detained group". Trust.org. 25 April 2014. from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  181. ^ "Sloviansk "people's mayor" confirms detention of bus with servicemen, civilians". Kyiv Post. 25 April 2014. from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  182. ^ "Press | Published by Interpreter_Mag". Pressimus. 25 April 2014. from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  183. ^ Alpert, Lukas I. (25 April 2014). "Military Observers Taken Hostage, Ukraine Says". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  184. ^ Rachkevych, Mark (26 April 2014). "Alleged Russian Colonel Strelkov makes public appearance as self-proclaimed chief of 'Donbass People's Militia'". Kyiv Post. from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  185. ^ "Police say pro-Russians accidentally set fatal Odessa fire with Molotov cocktails (LIVE UPDATES, VIDEO)". Kyiv Post. 17 April 2014. from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  186. ^ Associated Press in Donetsk (29 May 2014). "East Ukraine rebel leader claims to have missing OSCE observers". The Guardian. from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  187. ^ "Eastern cities Artemivsk, Mariupol latest targets in Ukraine anti-terror operation". Kyiv Post. 24 April 2014. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to War in Donbas (Sloviansk).
  • The Independent – Ukraine crisis: Kidnappings abound as the Donbass falls further into anarchy
  • The Guardian – Freed OSCE observers tell of ordeal during capture in Ukraine
  • Polskie Radio Captive Polish OSCE observer in Ukraine speaks of 'real danger'
  • 6 July 2014, , inforesist.org

48°52′12″N 37°37′30″E / 48.8700°N 37.6250°E / 48.8700; 37.6250

April 10, 2024
siege, sloviansk, part, donbasdate12, april, july, 2014, months, weeks, days, locationsloviansk, outskirts, donetsk, oblast, ukraineresultukrainian, victory, forces, withdraw, donetsk, ukrainian, forces, recapture, sloviansk, belligerents, ukrainedonetsk, peop. Siege of SlovianskPart of the war in DonbasDate12 April 5 July 2014 2 months 3 weeks and 2 days LocationSloviansk and outskirts Donetsk Oblast UkraineResultUkrainian victory DPR forces withdraw to Donetsk Ukrainian forces recapture Sloviansk 2 Belligerents UkraineDonetsk People s Republic Russia claimed by Ukraine 1 Commanders and leadersOleksandr Turchynov Petro Poroshenko Arsen Avakov Serhiy Kulchytskiy 3 Stepan Poltorak Dmytro Yarosh Maksym Shapoval Valentyn NalyvaichenkoVyacheslav Ponomarev Vladimir Pavlenko 4 Igor Strelkov 5 Arseny Pavlov 6 Vladimir Zhoga 7 Alexander Khodakovsky Sergei Zhurikov Romashka 8 Alexander Mozhaev Babay or Bogeyman 9 Units involvedArmed Forces of Ukraine Ground Forces Air Force Airmobile Forces 95th Airmobile Brigade 10 25th Airborne Brigade 10 Internal Affairs Ministry National Guard Militsiya Police Security Service SBU SBU Alpha GroupRight Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps 11 Donbass People s Militia Pro Russian local volunteers Cossack National Guard Russian volunteers Kadyrovtsy 12 1st Sloviansk Brigade 6 Russian Orthodox Army Somalia Battalion Sparta BattalionRussian Armed Forces 45th Airborne Division 13 claimed by Ukraine Strength15 000 160 tanks230 APCs150 artillery pieces 14 20 helicopters 15 2 other aircraft800 16 1 000 17 fighters6 APCs 18 Casualties and losses51 soldiers killed127 soldiers wounded40 soldiers captured 19 2 SBU agents killed 19 3 SBU agents captured 20 1 police chief captured 20 4 Mi 24 helicopters shot down 21 2 Mi 8 helicopters shot down 21 22 1 An 30 shot down 21 23 3 Mi 24 helicopters damaged 21 2 Mi 8 helicopters damaged 21 24 1 An 30 damaged 21 54 militants killed200 militants wounded 25 4 captured 26 1 tank6 APCs 27 20 civilians killed from 13 April to 26 May 28 Unknown number from 27 May to 5 July 17 civilians and foreigners missing or kidnapped 20 Four Pentecostal Church members executed 1 Italian photojournalist and 1 Russian interpreter killed 29 The siege of Sloviansk was an operation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to recapture the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast from pro Russian insurgents who had seized it on 12 April 2014 The city was taken back on 5 July 2014 after shelling from artillery and heavy fighting The fighting in Sloviansk marked the first military engagement between pro Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces in the Donbas War On 12 April 2014 as unrest grew in eastern Ukraine following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution masked men in fatigues armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles took over the town and began to fortify it 30 They claimed to be local fighters of the Donetsk People s Republic but were actually Russian Armed Forces volunteers under the command of Russian GRU colonel Igor Girkin Strelkov 31 32 In response the Ukrainian Yatsenyuk Government created the first Anti Terrorist Operations zone ATO and launched a series of counter offensives against the insurgents resulting in a standoff and violent skirmishes 33 Girkin later acknowledged that his men s seizure of Sloviansk started the Donbas War 34 As tensions in the city increased the insurgents began to take journalists and others captive instigating a hostage crisis 35 36 The Security Service of Ukraine said on 18 April that Sloviansk remains the hottest point in the region 37 On 20 April Right Sector was ordered by acting President Oleksandr Turchinov to sabotage an insurgent controlled television tower leading to the first combat fatalities 38 By June roughly 40 of the city s population had fled 39 On 5 July after the insurgents had retreated to Donetsk City Ukrainian authorities retook control of the city 40 Contents 1 History 1 1 Seizure of government buildings 1 2 Government response 1 3 First offensive 1 4 Easter truce 1 5 Military operation resumes 1 6 Government blockade 1 7 Second offensive 1 8 Post referendum 1 9 Insurgent withdrawal 1 10 Aftermath 2 Hostages and abductions 2 1 Reported abductions 2 1 1 Journalists 2 1 2 Public officials 2 1 3 Other 2 1 4 International military observers 2 1 5 Ukrainian military and security 2 2 Murder of Volodymyr Rybak 2 3 Abduction of Simon Ostrovsky 2 4 International military observers detained 2 5 OSCE special monitoring mission observers 3 Notable figures 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksHistory editFurther information War in Donbas 2014 2022 Seizure of government buildings edit nbsp DPR affiliated Cossack National Guard occupying Sloviansk city council armed with Kalashnikov rifles and RPG 26 rocket launchers On 12 April a fifty strong unit of heavily armed pro Russian militants 31 captured Sloviansk s administration building police station and Security Service of Ukraine SBU building and set up roadblocks with the help of local armed activists 31 30 41 The unit were Russian Armed Forces volunteers under the command of Russian GRU colonel Igor Girkin Strelkov 31 32 They had been sent from Russian occupied Crimea and wore no insignia 31 According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry gunmen fired indiscriminately on the administration building 42 Raiding the police armoury the militants seized at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons The aim of the takeover was the guns a Ukrainian police statement said They are giving these guns to participants in the protest in Sloviansk 43 After takeover of the city by militants Sloviansk mayor Nelya Shtepa briefly appeared at an occupied police station and expressed support for the militants 30 Others gathered outside the building and similarly voiced their support They told Ukrainian journalists who were reporting on the situation to go back to Kyiv 30 Nelya Shtepa was later arrested by the insurgents and replaced by the self proclaimed people s mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev citation needed Girkin said that this action sparked the Donbas War He said I m the one who pulled the trigger of war If our unit hadn t crossed the border everything would have fizzled out like in Kharkiv like in Odessa 34 He explained that nobody there wanted to fight until his unit seized Sloviansk 44 Government response edit The following morning the Ukrainian government announced a counter terrorism operation in the city 33 An ultimatum was given for the separatists to disarm and surrender to authorities within 48 hours citation needed Police began the operation by clearing a highway checkpoint controlled by separatists A group of insurgents exited their vehicle and opened fire on the Ukrainian police killing two SBU officers and injuring several Ukrainian military personnel One separatist was also killed in the shootout while the remainder fled into the woods The car the gunmen were in had a Poltava Oblast license plate which was traced to the private security firm Yavir In an unrelated shootout in the city itself two people were shot dead by an assailant in plainclothes and another was wounded 45 By the next day Sloviansk was reported to be under pro Russian control with more important government buildings and other areas taken by the militants The Ukrainian army ground forces were deployed on the same day after the separatists declined the ultimatum to lay down their arms Two civilians were shot and killed at point blank range by pro Russian militants in a car in Sloviansk another one was wounded 46 nbsp Masked armed men walking around the cityFirst offensive edit Ukrainian forces launched their first military offensive to regain control of the Kramatorsk regional air base using transport helicopters and armoured vehicles Militants attempted to regain control of the airport resulting in heavy fighting but were not successful Russian media estimated that this clash resulted in between four and eleven deaths citation needed The leader of the government military operation General Vasyl Krutov was attacked by pro Russian sympathizers after addressing a crowd demonstrating in front of the air base Ukrainian armoured units were reported to be encircling Sloviansk to blockade all approach routes 47 nbsp Armed militiamen occupying the council building on 14 April First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Yarema claimed that elements of the 45th Russian airborne division were seen in the Sloviansk area on 16 April 13 Six Ukrainian armoured vehicles drove through Sloviansk bearing Russian flags after their crews had apparently defected to the separatist cause 48 The 25th Airborne Brigade that had been blockading Sloviansk was then disbanded on orders of Ukraine s president The government announced that the soldiers responsible would be court martialled 48 49 On 18 April Sloviansk people s mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev announced a hunt for Ukrainian speakers in the Donetsk region commanding the militants to report suspicious activity especially if they heard that the Ukrainian language was used 50 Ukrainian media claimed that the Zhytomyr Armoured Brigade recaptured two of the six armoured vehicles near Kramatorsk late on 18 April No fatalities were recorded while one separatist was wounded 51 Following negotiations a compromise was reached to return the remaining four BMDs to the Ukrainian military 52 but an official from the Ministry of Defence announced that the vehicles were still in the hands of the rebels as of 23 April 53 In a later interview Igor Strelkov the commander of the pro Russian forces at Sloviansk claimed that they had six armoured vehicles including a BMD 1 BMD 2 and a mortar carrier 54 Easter truce edit nbsp Barricade in the cityA truce for Easter was called by the Ukrainian government which promised to temporarily halt military action in eastern Ukraine on 19 April citation needed Pro Russian members of the Donbass People s Militia began a pogrom targeting the Romani population of the town According to the International Renaissance Foundation a Ukrainian NGO separatist militiamen entered houses inhabited by Romanis beat the residents including women and children and stole their property 55 The militants claimed they were acting on orders from people s mayor and militant leader Vyacheslav Ponomarev 56 Reports of the attacks were confirmed by Prime Minister Yatsenyuk as well as a heightened level of xenophobic rhetoric at separatist rallies 57 Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the government will not tolerate incitement of ethnic hatred and instructed law enforcement agencies to identify those involved in the attacks on Romani 56 57 According to Ponomarev he held talks with Romani who he alleged were involved in drug trafficking and removed them from the city Ponomarev said the incidents were not attacks on Romani but rather cleaning drugs out of the city 58 Separatists kidnapped Euromaidan activist and journalist Irma Krat who had arrived in the city to cover the conflict They later paraded her blindfolded in front of the press 59 On 20 April 20 Right Sector members led by Dmytro Yarosh were covertly sent by acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov to destroy the transformer of the Slavyansk television station on Karachun mountain When their four car convoy attempted to pass an insurgent controlled checkpoint a gunfight broke out leading to the first combat fatalities of the conflict 38 Subsequently the insurgents claimed that they were attacked by Right Sector 60 but this was denied by the Kyiv government until two years later when Dmytro Yarosh admitted that it was true The two accounts continue to differ on which side shot first 60 38 source source source source source source source Pro Russian civilians in Sloviansk 13 April 2014The pro Russian separatists in Sloviansk claimed to have confiscated firearms including a German World War II era MG 42 machine gun a night vision device aerial photos of Sloviansk military uniforms camping tools US cash and an alleged Right Sector business card of presidential candidate Dmytro Yarosh 60 61 Right Sector symbols including a medallion were also claimed to have been found Right Sector spokesman Artem Skoropadsky denied the group s involvement in the attack and blamed Russian special forces for it 62 We don t have ID cards with numbers We only have ID cards with letters where we mention the department where the person works said Boryslav Bereza head of the information department for Right Sector CNN called the phone number on the calling card and reached a woman who expressed surprise at the situation She said that she was in Kyiv and had no relation to anyone in Right Sector 60 Viktoriya Siumar deputy head of Ukraine s National Security Council said the shooting was being investigated but that there were indications that it was an argument between local criminal groups 63 Sky News correspondent Katie Stallard said there were inconsistencies in the separatists accounts and there was no coherent evidence to back up their claims 64 Daniel Sandford of the BBC described the evidence presented as dubious 63 nbsp Barricades at entrance to a captured government buildingThe video released by Russian TV which claimed to show the identifying badges of the Right Sector turned out to have been filmed ten hours before the actual attack took place as evidenced by the time stamp which the Russian camera crew forgot to remove 65 The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said at least three separatists were killed and three wounded in what it suspected might have been an incident set up by Russian agents Armed lawbreakers and saboteurs who are terrorizing the local population around Slaviansk have turned to cynical provocation the SBU security service said in a statement describing the incident as a staged attack No group was present other than the saboteurs and crime figures supported and armed by officers of Russia s GRU military intelligence the SBU added They also noted One cannot but suspect the speed with which camera crews from Russian TV stations appeared at the scene of the shooting and the obviously staged subject matter of news reports in the Russian media 62 The alleged Dmytro Yarosh business card was widely mocked on Ukrainian and Russian social media 66 In 2016 on the two year anniversary of the attack Dmytro Yarosh talked to Censor net corroborating that he did in fact lead the attack though the actual combat leader was an unnamed Afghan national and gave a detailed account of it 38 Following the incident people s mayor Ponomarev appealed to Russia to intervene militarily 67 Ponomarev then instituted a curfew in the city 68 It was later reported that the man killed at the checkpoint was Pavel Pavelko a resident of the surrounding area 69 nbsp Civilians block Ukrainian military near Sloviansk April 2014 nbsp Vehicle near Sloviansk with Organization for Security and Co operation in Europe OSCE markingsOSCE monitors were barred from the city by the separatists on 21 April An OSCE team has been in Donetsk but has not yet made progress one diplomat said They are trying to get back into Slovyansk but pro Russian demonstrators have been blocking the way An OSCE assessment released Monday described the situation as very tense in Donetsk and as deteriorating in Sloviansk where the entire town is under the control of armed groups 70 Ukrainian officials distributed photos to the U N and U S councils allegedly showing that pro Russian militants were undercover Russian special forces Other photos showed militants equipped and dressed the same as Russian soldiers in Crimea 71 A Ukrainian military surveillance plane was damaged by small arms fire as it was on a reconnaissance flight over Sloviansk on 21 April but safely made an emergency landing None of the crew members were hurt 72 73 American journalist Simon Ostrovsky from Vice News was held captive by militants in the city 74 35 Military operation resumes edit On 23 April Ukraine s Interior Ministry said it had cleared separatist forces out of the nearby city of Sviatohirsk and that no one was injured During the anti terrorism operation by special forces the city was freed the ministry said in a statement posted on its website Currently Sviatohirsk and its surroundings are being patrolled by police 75 Ponomarev promised to prevent presidential elections in Ukraine at any cost He said We will take all necessary measures so that elections in the southeast do not take place Asked how he would accomplish this he responded We ll take somebody as hostage and hang him by the balls He also promised to destroy dissent calling it a harsh truth of life 76 On 24 April Ukrainian troops took control of three checkpoints surrounding the city and according to the Interior Ministry five separatists were killed and one police officer wounded in the attacks The checkpoints were burned Ukrainian forces distributed leaflets to residents of Sloviansk encouraging them to remain peaceful and the Ministry reported that Ponomarev had announced that anyone seen with the leaflet would be shot on the spot 77 The leadership of the Donetsk People s Republic told Interfax Ukraine that a combined arms operation has been launched in Sloviansk This means only one thing a civil war Ukrainian officials said that the counter insurgency operation intended to retake all of Sloviansk the same day but an increased threat of a Russian invasion halted the operation Russian forces moved to within 10 kilometres 6 2 mi of the Ukrainian border The government confirmed seven were killed during the operation 77 Ukrainian Forces surrounded Sloviansk supported by multiple armoured columns and warned civilians to stay indoors ahead of a planned offensive on 25 April The pro Russian militant commander Ponomarev threatened to turn Sloviansk into a Stalingrad if Ukrainian troops were to enter the town He also reported that only one checkpoint to the east of Sloviansk remained under separatist control while the rest had been captured the previous day citation needed Government blockade edit Ukrainian authorities said that the second phase of the military operation in Sloviansk would include blockading the city to prevent any reinforcements from entering 78 In the city it was reported that pro Russian militants had beaten children whom they caught photographing a separatist checkpoint The news caused a backlash in residents opinions of the militants 79 BBC journalist Natalia Antelava was threatened at gunpoint by members of the Donbass People s Militia while attempting to interview locals 80 Russian media citing Russian Ministry of Defense analysis reported that Ukrainian forces planned to wipe out the entire population of the city 81 this was denounced as propaganda in the Ukrainian press 82 On 26 April the Ukrainian troops blockading the city began erecting checkpoints on roads leading to Sloviansk citation needed On 28 April self proclaimed deputy mayor of Sloviansk Igor Perepechayenko was arrested by SBU officers Officials claimed Perepechayenko had been establishing contact with the General staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the GRU and was arrested at the Donetsk airport while returning from a flight from Moscow 83 Residents reported that gunmen from the Donbas militia began extorting shop owners in the local market for rent and had begun stealing expensive cars 84 Second offensive edit nbsp Locals look at a destroyed truck next to the Sloviansk signDuring the early morning on 2 May Ukrainian forces launched a large scale operation to retake the city 85 There were reports of gunfire explosions and a military helicopter opening fire Separatists said one helicopter had been shot down 85 86 and one of the pilots captured 87 A commander at a separatist checkpoint told the Russian News amp Information Agency that government forces took control of another of the roadblocks on the outskirts of Sloviansk as well as the city s television broadcasting centre A police station was reportedly re captured while the city centre remained quiet Several armoured vehicles were seen outside the city 88 unreliable source Separatist authorities claim that three militants and two civilians were killed in the clashes The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that up to nine checkpoints around Sloviansk had been seized They also acknowledged the shooting down of two Mi 24 helicopters and the death of two airmen 89 Seven servicemen were wounded 90 unreliable source The pilot of one of the Mi 24s badly wounded was captured by pro Russian forces 91 unreliable source The fighting died down by afternoon 89 but by the evening separatists launched a counteroffensive that killed two Ukrainian paratroopers at Andriivka southwest of Sloviansk 92 Ukrainian National Guard Commander Stepan Poltorak said that the town had been practically cleared of terrorists 93 After the helicopters were shot down Ukrainian authorities stated that this had been done with Russian man portable air defense systems MANPADS 94 Jane s Information Group editor and military analyst Nicholas de Larrinaga says that the use of MANPADS outside of formal armed forces has historically been very rare and that the type used was an Igla model either the earlier 9K310 Igla 1 SA 16 Gimlet or the later 9K38 Igla SA 18 Grouse which are in service with both the Ukrainian and Russian armed forces 91 An independent Russian military journalist Pavel Felgenhauer said that the effective usage of MANPADS in Ukraine proved not only that the people who used it were specially trained but that the weaponry was supplied by Russia According to Felgenhauer Soviet MANPADS would not be functioning right away as they were equipped with a short lived battery On the other hand MANPADS of the Ukrainian army type Igla would not hit a Ukrainian helicopter because such systems have a friend or foe identification ability 95 During the fighting about one hundred civilians gathered outside the city hall to appeal for Russian intervention 96 On 5 May Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced that Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting with pro Russian separatists on the outskirts of the city and said the separatists numbering as many as 800 fired large caliber weapons and used mortars and other equipment Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and twenty more were wounded in the fighting He claimed 30 terrorists were killed and dozens wounded Strelkov a Donbas Militia leader told the Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti that We lost around 10 including peaceful residents and 20 25 were wounded citation needed According to a statement on the Interior Ministry s website separatists used unarmed civilians as human shields as they attacked Ukrainian troops and set fire to nearby buildings and fired at a minibus carrying wounded people from the battlefield killing an officer in a special police unit who was escorting it Pro Russian insurgents also shot down a Ukrainian M 24 helicopter in Sloviansk using a heavy machine gun 97 98 99 Post referendum edit Main article 2014 Donbas status referendums Following the referendum on the status of Donetsk Oblast on 12 May Donbass People s Militia leader Igor Girkin declared himself Supreme Commander of the Donetsk People s Republic In his decree he demanded all military stationed in the region swear an oath of allegiance to him within 48 hours and said that war would be waged upon those who did not 100 This was followed on 15 May by a deputy of Strelkov issuing a second ultimatum at a press conference giving Ukraine 24 hours to withdraw its troops from Donetsk 101 On the 23rd he urged all residents of the city to evacuate saying that artillery would be used 102 Throughout this time attacks by both sides continued These included a separatist attack on a Ukrainian convoy near Kramatorsk on 13 May which killed seven Ukrainian paratroopers 103 104 and a disputed number of separatists 105 106 and mortar attacks on Ukrainian positions at Mount Karachun near Sloviansk on 19 and 20 May leaving one Ukrainian soldier dead and seven wounded 107 108 Ukrainian forces used artillery fire against Sloviansk and surrounding villages pro Russian sources said that three villages including Semenivka were damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire on 19 May 109 and it was also reported that two civilians were killed by artillery fire in Sloviansk itself on 26 May and three on 7 June 110 The following day 120 children were evacuated from the city 111 The Ukrainian military also used both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft over Sloviansk throughout May and June which suffered a number of losses the most serious being the shooting down of an Mi 8 helicopter on 29 May killing 12 including the helicopter s crew six representatives of the Berkut special task force and Ukrainian National Guard general Serhiy Kulchytskiy 3 112 Two helicopters were downed on 3 June 113 114 an An 30 surveillance aircraft was shot down on 6 June 23 115 and another helicopter on 24 June a day after the agreement to a week long ceasefire killing all nine on board 116 Separatists made repeated attacks on the checkpoints that the Ukrainian forces had set up on roads leading out of Sloviansk inflicting and suffering casualties without taking the positions On 24 May an attack with mortars RPGs and small arms killed two Ukrainian soldiers 117 while a mortar attack on 7 June left one dead 118 An attack with mortars and automatic grenade launchers and mortars on 28 June killed three Ukrainian servicemen 119 On 3 June the Ukrainian military launched a new offensive against Sloviansk and the nearby village of Semenivka The fighting left at least ten separatists and two Ukrainian soldiers dead and 42 Ukrainian soldiers and 12 separatists were wounded 120 121 while one Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier was damaged 120 A Ukrainian military convoy was attacked while moving south toward Sloviansk from Izyum 120 Divisions emerged within the separatist forces On 27 May Girkin said that some of his men had engaged in looting of the city and that in response he had had company commander Dmitry Slavov and platoon commander Nikolai Lukyanov executed 122 Ponomarev was dismissed from his post and arrested by Strelkov on 10 June The so called people s mayor Ponomarev has been dismissed for engaging in activities incompatible with the goals and tasks of the civil administration I cannot provide further details for now Strelkov said in his statement 123 On 21 June a suspected agent allegedly recruited by the FSB was captured by the State Security Service near Sloviansk 124 President Poroshenko declared an end to the ceasefire at the end of June after at least 27 Ukrainian servicemen were killed during it A renewed government offensive followed once again using heavy artillery and airstrikes A TV tower on Mount Karachun was destroyed by shelling 125 nb 1 Insurgent withdrawal edit nbsp Map of the DPR retreat from Sloviansk and other citiesDPR militants retreated from Sloviansk on 5 July According to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko he personally gave the order for the Ukrainian flag to be raised over the town Separatists and Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov both said that a portion of the rebels including Girkin military commander of the DPR were retreating from Sloviansk Avakov claimed that the separatists were suffering losses and surrendering and had lost one tank and four armoured vehicles in the retreat Associated Press quoted Andrei Purgin a spokesman for the separatists self proclaimed Donetsk People s Republic as saying the rebels were evacuating A rebel commander said that they were falling back to Kramatorsk 127 Captured hostages claimed to have freed themselves from Sloviansk s main police station and confirmed the rebel retreat 127 According to Girkin 80 90 percent of his men had escaped from Sloviansk 128 On 11 July spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Lysenko claimed Ukrainian security forces had not destroyed the retreating military column because they had received information that the separatists were using human shields 129 On 5 July the Ukrainian flag was hoisted over the city council building 127 130 131 Several hostages including Mayor Nelia Shtepa were freed 132 Aftermath edit Main article Timeline of the 2014 pro Russian conflict in Ukraine 5 July Following the liberation of Sloviansk in the same weekend 5 6 July government forces took control of several other towns in northern Donetsk Oblast Kramatorsk 127 Druzhkivka Kostiantynivka 133 and Bakhmut 134 On 11 July Sloviansk s Mayor Nelya Shtepa was arrested for an attack on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine 135 On 24 July Human Rights Watch reported that Ukrainian authorities found and exhumed a mass grave in the city 136 Hostages and abductions editA number of people have been abducted during the conflict some as hostages Thirteen military international observers were referred to by insurgent leader Vyacheslav Ponomarev as prisoners of war 137 138 Ponomarev warned hostages would be killed if he came under attack 139 140 As of 2 May the Kyiv Post reported that 31 people remained missing or were hostages in Donetsk Oblast 20 Reported abductions edit Journalists edit Serhiy Shapoval Journalist for the Volyn Post 141 released 142 Yuri Lelyavsky Journalist for ZIK channel news held on suspicion of being a provocateur 143 released 144 Irma Krat Leader of Maidan s Women Hundred Editor in chief of Hidden Truth TV held for war crimes and suspicion of torturing and killing a Berkut riot police officer 145 146 Residents of Sloviansk freed Krat after her captors left the city 147 Serhiy Lefter Journalist held on suspicion of espionage and co operation with Right Sector 145 146 148 released 149 Yevhen Hapych Journalist from the Ivano Frankivsk Oblast town of Kolomyia 145 released 150 Clarissa Ward Journalist for CBS News detained and released 151 Mike Giglio Journalist for Buzzfeed kidnapped and released 152 Simon Ostrovsky Russian born American journalist for Vice News held on suspicion of being a Right Sector informant released 145 146 Paul Gogo French journalist released 145 146 Cosimo Attanasio Italian journalist released 145 146 Dmitry Galko Belarusian journalist released 145 146 Public officials edit Volodymyr Rybak Horlivka city councilman found murdered 145 Vadym Sukhono Sloviansk City Councilman 145 148 Nelya Shtepa Sloviansk mayor 145 Yakymov Head of the Sloviansk medical forensics service released 145 Other edit Yuri Popravko A 19 year old student from Kyiv murdered along with Rybak His body was found in the river 145 153 Popravko s friends later admitted that Yuri was a member of the Right Sector and arrived in Slavyansk together with other Right Sector members They brought with them arms shot at a car that had been driving them and attacked a checkpoint with a grenade 154 155 Valeriy Salo Head of the Prosvita in Krasny Lyman captured by Donetsk Republic members His body was found in Luhansk region along with a torched car 156 Artem Deyneha A Sloviansk resident he was kidnapped after he was observed setting up a webcam from the balcony of his family s apartment overlooking the occupied SBU building 145 148 Vitaliy Kovalchuk He attempted to capture guns from militants in Sloviansk 148 Initial statements that he was a member of Right Sector were contradicted by later reports 157 158 Denis Grishchuk A volunteer at the Mystetskyi Arsenal art center abducted by Sloviansk separatists on 25 April 159 Released during insurgent withdrawal 160 Pavel Yurov A theatre director abducted by Sloviansk separatists on 25 April 159 Released during insurgent withdrawal 160 Vasily Nesterenko a man abducted on 6 May 2014 while bringing food to the Ukrainian army 147 International military observers edit German interpreter released 161 Axel Schneider German Colonel released 161 German soldier released 161 German soldier released 161 Josef Prerovsky Czech Lieutenant colonel released 162 Krzysztof Kobielski Polish soldier released 161 John Gerhard Ostergaard Christensen Danish Warrant Officer released 161 Yngve Thomas Johansson Swedish soldier released for medical reasons 163 161 164 Ukrainian military and security edit Five representatives of the Ukrainian armed forces were also detained along with the OSCE mission released 165 Ponomarev and Russian media claim that separatists have captured 40 additional Ukrainian soldiers 166 Pro Russian militants in Horlivka captured three SBU officers LTC Rostyslav Kiyashko MAJ Serhiy Potemsky CPT Yevhen Verinsky who were held in the SBU building in Sloviansk and publicly interrogated at a press conference with a video of the interrogation being posted on YouTube They were later released on 7 May in exchange for separatist leader Pavel Gubarev released 167 168 Yuriy Zahrebelny Prosecutor of Sloviansk Zahrebelny was released following interrogation 145 Vitaliy Kolupai Kramatorsk chief of police Pro Russian militants demanded weapons and arms in exchange for the police colonel s release 145 Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Prokhorov Sloviansk chief of police whereabouts unknown 145 Murder of Volodymyr Rybak edit Ukraine s acting president relaunched military operations against pro Russian militants in the east after two men one a local politician were found tortured to death The politician Volodymyr Ivanovych Rybak from the Batkivshchyna party was found near Sloviansk 72 Both men had the same cause of death combined injuries due to torture and death by drowning while unconscious Rybak was kidnapped by four pro Russian militants in camouflage after he took part in a For a United Ukraine demonstration near the Horlivka city council building he was found in the river with a backpack filled with sand around his back and gutted 169 A statement by Ukraine s SBU state security service implicated Igor Bezler and Igor Strelkov whom it describes as senior officers in Russia s GRU military intelligence services which is leading the pro Russian separatist movement in eastern Ukraine in Rybak s murder 170 Rybak s wife Elena claimed at a news conference that the checkpoints into the city of Horlivka were manned by Chechen militants and they would not allow her to enter the city to identify his body 12 Ukraine s Security Service SBU released a YouTube video implicating Bezler with an alleged audio recording In it he allegedly orders a subordinate to abduct Rybak tie his hands and blindfold him and then drive him to a remote place so that he could rendezvous with the captors In the second part of the recording Russian Military Intelligence Colonel Strelkov calls Ponomarev to take care of Rybak s body because it is lying here and beginning to smell In response Ponomarev complies and says he will come to take the body and organize the burial of this rooster 171 Abduction of Simon Ostrovsky edit On 22 April Simon Ostrovsky of Vice News was detained by pro Russian separatists 35 145 We had been looking into whether there were actual Russians involved in what s going on here for the two days prior to me being captured Ostrovsky said I had been phoning them and requesting interviews with them on that subject so maybe that s why they decided it was time to stop me Recounting the experience he claimed They beat me up as an introduction to the whole situation blindfolded me tied my hands behind my back Ostrovsky said Then they eventually untied them and I was just hanging out in the room with the other prisoners 172 Ostrovsky says his captors accused him of working for the CIA and FBI and that during his stay a dozen other nameless detainees were ferried in and out of the cellar of the Ukraine state security SBU building by the pro Russia militants and that many had been there for up to two weeks 148 When I refused to give the password to my laptop I was smacked in the arm with a truncheon When I was asleep on the floor masked men came to wake me up and tell me how no one would miss me if I died and then kicked me in the ribs as they left When asked of his whereabouts during a press conference self appointed people s mayor Ponomarev said nobody abducted him nobody is holding him hostage he s with us now in at the SBU preparing material and working 35 Stella Khoraeva a spokeswoman for pro Russian insurgents told the Associated Press that Ostrovsky was fine and suspected of bad activities but refused to explain She added that the pro Russian group was conducting an investigation into Ostrovsky s activities 145 Khoraeva then said Ostrovsky was initially captured for spying on behalf of Ukrainian ultra nationalists 146 Ponomarev reciprocated this claim saying According to our information he is an informer of the Right Sector 173 Later she said that the insurgents had planned to take Ostrovsky which was prompted from his incorrect way of reporting We knew where he was going and the men manning the checkpoint were told to look out for him she said 146 Ponomarev has said his arrest was so he wouldn t put out a lot of provocative commentary so he wouldn t conduct hostile activity on our territory In the final analysis he is an undesirable element in our area When asked when he would be released he said he would be released when we consider it necessary for him to get out He also reiterated that he is not a hostage but that they were defining his place of stay so to speak 174 The self styled mayor then said that Ostrovsky could be released in a trade We need captives We need a bargaining chip Many of our comrades are imprisoned Those guys Ukrainians are grabbing them then taking them to Kyiv and torturing them So then we re doing the very same thing That is in the sense that we re taking captives said Ponomarev 175 Jen Psaki the US State Department spokeswoman said US authorities are deeply concerned about the situation and are working to resolve it We condemn any such actions and all recent hostage takings in eastern Ukraine 146 On 24 April Ostrovsky was released 176 International military observers detained edit On 25 April near Sloviansk the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry lost contact with military inspectors from OSCE 177 participating states The group on an inspection mission under the Vienna Document on military transparency was made up of three German soldiers a German translator and military observers from Czech Republic Poland Sweden and Denmark a ministry spokesman said 161 In Donetsk region communication has been lost with members of the OSCE military verification mission According to preliminary reports they could be captured by terrorists the director of the ministry s information policy department Yevhen Perebyinis said at a briefing 178 The Interior Ministry later confirmed that 13 people seven members from OSCE countries five Ukrainian military representatives and the driver had been taken hostage by pro Russian militants and held in the SBU building 179 Ponomarev says he believes the detained military observers have a Kyiv spy in their group People who come here as observers for the European community bringing with them a real spy that is inappropriate Ponomarev told reporters 180 He also claimed the detention was due to the bus having banned ammunition on board 181 and he along with Russian media accused the observers of being NATO officers 182 The separatists have said they refuse to release the hostages until they meet with competent authorities in Russia 183 Igor Strelkov commander of the separatist militia accused the monitors of being NATO spies and that they would only be exchanged for pro Russian activists held in custody in Kyiv 184 On 3 May following the second offensive on Sloviansk the observers along with five Ukrainian observers were released The SBU then released what they described as a tapped phone call implicating Russia in the abduction naming specifically Vladimir Lukin and Igor Girkin 185 OSCE special monitoring mission observers edit On 29 May Ponomarev admitted that he and his men were holding four OSCE observers promising that they would be freed soon according to Russia s Interfax news agency He said they were detained for being most zealous The OSCE said it had lost contact with one of its four person monitoring teams in Donetsk on Monday evening His men had previously kidnapped OSCE monitors in eastern Ukraine 186 Notable figures editAlexander Mozhaev Babay or Bogeyman Russian Aleksandr Ivanovich Mozhaev a Russian military veteran from Belorechensk Mozhaev with his distinctive beard has appeared in many circulated pictures as a member of the Donbass People s Militia in Sloviansk and allegedly led the assault on a weapons depot in Artemivsk today Bakhmut 9 187 See also editOutline of the Russo Ukrainian War Timeline of the 2014 pro Russian unrest in Ukraine Timeline of the war in DonbasNotes edit According to Interfax Ukraine this destruction did not influence TV channels broadcasting as the tower was already out of service 126 References edit See Russian military intervention in Ukraine Ukraine crisis Rebels abandon Sloviansk stronghold Archived 5 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC News 5 July 2014 a b Ukraine army helicopter shot down near Sloviansk BBC News 29 May 2014 Archived from the original on 29 May 2014 Retrieved 29 May 2014 Eks mer Slavyanska Ponomarev pokinul gorod vmeste s opolcheniem Archived 21 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine RIA Novosty 5 July 2014 Separatisty Slavyanska pereshli pod kontrol rossijskogo specnazovca Strelkova SMI Novosti UNIAN Ukrainian Independent Information Agency Archived from the original on 29 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 a b Semyonovka May June 2014 YouTube 18 November 2014 Retrieved 1 February 2015 Who was Vladimir Zhoga Russian neo Nazi warlord known for his brutality killed in Ukraine Odin iz liderov opolcheniya Slavyanska Romashka pogib 3 May 2014 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 a b Shuster Simon 24 April 2014 Exclusive Meet the Pro Russian Separatists of Eastern Ukraine Time Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 a b Separatisty kontratakuyut V Slavyanske pogibli eshe dvoe ukrainskih voennyh Korrespondent net Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 2 May 2014 Tom Balmforth 16 October 2014 Insult Evolves into Homage As Donetsk Airport Defenders Dubbed Cyborgs RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty Archived from the original on 3 November 2014 Retrieved 4 November 2014 a b Na blok postah vozle Slavyanska stoyat vooruzhennye chechency ochevidec Novosti UNIAN Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 24 April 2014 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 4 May 2014 a b Rudnitsky Jake Neuger James Choursina Kateryna 15 April 2014 Ukraine Deploys Military as Russia Evokes Specter of Civil War Bloomberg News Archived from the original on 11 November 2020 Retrieved 8 April 2021 RIA Novosti publikuet snimki zapechatlevshie vojska Ukrainy u Slavyanska 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 20 August 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Military com 5 May 2014 Ukrainian Helo Shot Down in Sloviansk Archived from the original on 19 September 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Ukraine soldiers killed in Slovyansk clashes Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Kiev says 4 of its troops killed in eastern Ukraine Archived from the original on 3 November 2014 Retrieved 5 May 2014 A day of humiliation as Ukrainian military offensive stalls six armored vehicles seized Kyiv Post 16 April 2014 Archived from the original on 24 June 2014 Retrieved 25 June 2014 a b Kniga pam yati zagiblih Memorial Book to the Fallen Herman Shapovalenko Yevhen Vorokh Yuriy Hirchenko in Ukrainian Archived from the original on 12 June 2018 Retrieved 31 January 2015 a b c d Thirty one people remain abducted or missing in Donetsk Oblast Kyiv Post 2 May 2014 Archived from the original on 17 October 2019 Retrieved 13 June 2019 a b c d e f Aviation Safety Network 29 June 2014 Archived from the original on 10 April 2016 Retrieved 29 June 2014 Ukraine army helicopter shot down near Sloviansk 12 dead BBC News BBC News 29 May 2014 Archived from the original on 5 August 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 a b V shtabe ATO utochnyayut chto 6 iyunya boeviki sbili AN 30B kotoryj sovershal nablyudatelnyj polet Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 8 June 2014 Archived from the original on 11 June 2014 Retrieved 10 June 2014 Ukraine helicopters shot down in Slovyansk Al Jazeera Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 3 May 2014 1 killed 13 April 1 Archived 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed 19 April 2 Archived 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine 5 killed 24 April 3 3 killed 2 May 4 Archived 15 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 5 Archived 8 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine 30 6 Archived 18 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine killed 5 May 2 killed 27 May 7 Archived 28 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 10 killed 4 June 8 Archived 6 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine Total of 34 54 reported killed Four arrests after Slaviansk helicopter attacks kill two Itv com 28 April 2014 Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 3 May 2014 BBC News Ukraine crisis Donetsk rebels in mass withdrawal BBC News 5 July 2014 Archived from the original on 5 July 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 2 killed 13 April 9 Archived 15 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed 14 April 10 Archived 25 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed 22 April 11 Archived 8 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed 28 April 12 Archived 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed 2 May 13 Archived 15 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine 1 14 Archived 8 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine 3 15 Archived 6 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine killed 5 May 4 killed 26 May 16 Archived 30 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Total of 14 16 reported killed Italian journalist Andrea Ronchelli killed in Ukraine The Guardian 25 May 2014 Archived from the original on 25 May 2014 Retrieved 29 May 2014 a b c d Rachkevych Mark 12 April 2014 Armed pro Russian extremists launch coordinated attacks in Donetsk Oblast seize buildings and set up checkpoints Kyiv Post Archived from the original on 12 April 2014 Retrieved 16 April 2014 a b c d e Arel Dominique Driscoll Jesse eds 2023 Ukraine s Unnamed War Cambridge University Press pp 138 140 a b Wynnyckyj Mychailo 2019 Ukraine s Maidan Russia s War A Chronicle and Analysis of the Revolution of Dignity Columbia University Press pp 151 153 a b Babiak Mat 13 April 2014 Counter terrorism Operation Announced in Sloviansk Official Public Relations Secretariat for the Headquarters of the National Resistance in Kyiv Ukraine Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 16 April 2014 a b Russia s Igor Strelkov I Am Responsible for War in Eastern Ukraine The Moscow Times 21 November 2014 a b c d Brian Ries2 36 UTC 22 April 2014 American Journalist With Vice News Captured in Eastern Ukraine Mashable com Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 22 April 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Grytsenko Oksana 25 April 2014 International observation mission held hostage in Sloviansk Kyiv Post Retrieved 25 July 2023 Anti terrorist campaign takes a different tack Kyiv Post 18 April 2014 Archived from the original on 19 April 2014 Retrieved 25 April 2014 a b c d DMITRO YaROSh PERShIJ NASTUPALNIJ BIJ VIJNI VIDBUVSYa 20 KVITNYa 2014 GO DOBROVOLCI ATAKUVALI BLOKPOST PID SLOV YaNSKOM Archived 22 April 2016 at archive today Censor net ua 2016 04 22 Ukraine News One Slovyansk residents desert lawless separatist stronghold Kyiv Post 6 June 2014 Archived from the original on 25 June 2014 Retrieved 6 July 2014 Ukraine crisis Bridges destroyed outside Donetsk Archived 5 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC News 7 July 2014 Avakov V Slavyanske neizvestnye zahvatili zdaniya milicii Komsomolskaya Pravda 12 April 2014 Archived from the original on 14 April 2014 Retrieved 16 April 2014 U M SLOV YaNSKU ZAHOPLENO BUDIVLYu SBU in Ukrainian Ukrainian Interior Ministry 12 April 2014 Archived from the original on 13 April 2014 Retrieved 16 April 2014 Oliphant Roland 12 April 2014 Fears of full scale Russian invasion as eastern Ukraine cities toppled The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 7 December 2017 Retrieved 3 April 2018 Bidder Benjamin Russian Far Right Idol The Man Who Started the War in Ukraine Der Spiegel Retrieved 27 August 2015 But his big moment would only come later In April 2014 Strelkov joined by armed irregulars from Russia marched from Crimea to the provincial city of Sloviansk which is strategically located between the population centers of Donetsk and Kharkiv In the beginning nobody there wanted to fight Strelkov recalls He and his men attacked a police station in Sloviansk and created facts on the ground Counter Terror Operation in Donetsk Ukrainian Policy 14 April 2014 Archived from the original on 15 April 2014 Retrieved 14 April 2014 Two reportedly killed in point blank attack on car in Sloviansk Kyiv Post 14 April 2014 Archived from the original on 25 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Ukraine bares teeth against eastern uprising The State Associated Press 15 April 2014 Archived from the original on 16 April 2014 Retrieved 16 April 2014 a b Turchynov orders traitor airborne division disbanded LIVE UPDATES Kyiv Post 17 April 2014 Archived from the original on 19 April 2014 Retrieved 19 April 2014 Ukraine disbands army unit after fiasco push into east Yahoo News Agence France Presse 17 April 2014 Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 15 January 2017 Separatisty v Slavyanske obyavili ohotu na ukrainoyazychnyh SMI Novosti UNIAN Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 18 April 2014 Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Mark Rachkevych 19 April 2014 Ukraine recaptures two airborne combat vehicles on eve of truce Kyiv Post Archived from the original on 19 April 2014 Retrieved 19 April 2014 Ukrayinski vijskovi perekonali ekstremistiv povernuti she 4 BMD Ukrayinska pravda Ukrayinska Pravda Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 19 April 2014 Minoboroni U separatistiv zalishilisya 4 BMD Archived 26 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrayinska Pravda 23 April 2014 Stryelkov Opolchenci vbivatimut ukrayinskih vijskovih yaksho ti nadali vikonuvatimut svoyi obov yazki Archived 28 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrinform 26 April 2014 International Renaissance Foundation Stop Ethnic Violance sic in Slovyansk Romea cz 19 April 2014 Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 a b Pro Russian Separatists Loot Assault Romani in Sloviansk Ukrainian Policy 19 April 2014 Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 a b Yacenyuk poruchil privlekat k otvetstvennosti za rasprostranenie antisemitizma i ksenofobii Novosti UNIAN Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 19 April 2014 Archived from the original on 20 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Novosti Donbassa Separatisty obyasnili pogromy romov v Slavyanske Novosti dn ua Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 U Slov yansku separatisti vikrali aktivistku zhinochoyi sotni Majdanu Ukrayinska pravda Ukrayinska Pravda Archived from the original on 25 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 a b c d Lister Tim 20 April 2014 Mysterious fatal shooting in eastern Ukraine CNN Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 US stands with Ukraine in face of humiliating threats Biden Yahoo News Yahoo News 22 April 2014 Archived from the original on 14 May 2014 Retrieved 15 January 2017 a b Ukraine forces accuse Russia of staging shooting Reuters 20 April 2014 Archived from the original on 15 February 2022 Retrieved 5 July 2021 a b James Reynolds 20 April 2014 Ukraine unrest Russian outrage at fatal Sloviansk shooting BBC Archived from the original on 21 June 2018 Retrieved 21 June 2018 Ukraine Five Killed at Separatist Checkpoint Sky News 20 April 2014 Archived from the original on 20 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Gregory Paul Roderick April 2014 Putin Propagandists Caught Red Handed Again Pro Russian Self Defense Forces Capture Snipers Diapers Forbes Archived from the original on 30 August 2017 Retrieved 11 September 2017 Hashtag Yarosh s business card blows the internet away Euromaidan PR 20 April 2014 Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Samoprogoloshenij narodnij mer Slov yanska poprosiv Putina vvesti u region vijska ZMI Novini UNIAN Unian ua 20 April 2014 Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Samoprovozglashennyj mer Slavyanska vvel komendantskij chas Novosti UNIAN Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 21 April 2014 Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 Retrieved 21 April 2014 Staff About the Source Euromaidan Press 21 April 2014 Sloviansk Shooting Victim Identified April 20 2014 Euromaidan Press Archived from the original on 13 August 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Pro Russian separatists block monitors from buildings in east Ukraine diplomats say The Washington Post Archived from the original on 20 March 2017 Retrieved 11 September 2017 Higgins Andrew 21 April 2014 Photos Link Masked Men in East Ukraine to Russia The New York Times Archived from the original on 13 February 2017 Retrieved 28 February 2017 a b Ukraine alert as politician killed BBC 22 April 2014 Archived from the original on 8 December 2018 Retrieved 21 June 2018 News Republic News Republic 22 April 2014 Matthew Keys Matthew Keys ALERT Vice News journalist being held in Ukraine App net Broadcasts Broadcast app net Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 22 April 2014 Canada 23 April 2014 Ukraine has freed eastern city Kiev says as crackdown resumes The Globe and Mail Archived from the original on 25 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Separatisty Slavyanska obeshayut pytat zalozhnikov chtoby sorvat vybory Novosti UNIAN in Russian Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 23 April 2014 Archived from the original on 26 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 a b Senior security official Anti terror operation suspended as Russian troops amass on border Kyiv Post 24 April 2014 Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 Vlast reshila polnostyu zablokirovat Slavyansk v ramkah vtorogo etapa ATO Ukrainian Independent Information Agency 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 26 April 2014 Retrieved 25 April 2014 Mestnye zhiteli ozlobilis na separatistov pod Slavyanskom izbity deti OstroV Ostro org Archived from the original on 28 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Ukraine crisis Sloviansk resident tells of oppression BBC News Archived from the original on 29 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 RIA Novosti publikuet snimki zapechatlevshie vojska Ukrainy u Slavyanska RIA Novosti RIA Novosti Archived from the original on 4 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Rosijska propaganda zayavila pro plani Ukrayini sterti Slov yansk z zemli Ukrayinska pravda Ukrayinska Pravda 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 1 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Pravu ruku vatazhka teroristiv Slov yanska zatrimali z groshima Kremlya v aeroportu Politika TSN ua Tsn ua 28 April 2014 Archived from the original on 1 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Separatisti v Slov yansku zahopili rinok zapravki i kradut dorogi avto ochevidci Novini Ukrayini na 1 1 TSN ua Tsn ua 30 April 2014 Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 a b Government forces move on Sloviansk BBC News 2 May 2014 Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 2 May 2014 Pro Russian rebels in Slaviansk say Ukraine tries to retake town gunfire heard Trust org Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Separatisti vzyali ukrayinskogo lotchika Archived 5 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrayinska Pravda 2 May 2014 Militia spokesman says sweep operation underway against civilians in Slavyansk Information Telegraph Agency of Russia 2 May 2014 Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 2 May 2014 a b Ukraine forces move against separatists copters shot down killing 2 Archived 26 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times 2 May 2014 Turchinov specoperaciya v Slavyanske razvorachivaetsya medlennee chem hotelos by Archived 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine ITAR TASS 2 May 2014 a b de Larrinaga Nicholas 3 May 2014 Two Ukrainian Mi 24s shot down by MANPADS IHS Jane s Defence Weekly Archived from the original on 13 November 2014 Retrieved 3 May 2014 V Slavyanske pogibli eshe dvoe ukrainskih voennyh Archived 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Korrespondent net 2 May 2014 National Guard commander tells Sloviansk practically cleared of terrorists Kyiv Post 2 May 2014 Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Vertoloti pid Slov yanskom zbiti z PZRK rosijskogo virobnictva zastupnik ministra oboroni in Ukrainian Korrespondent net 2 May 2014 Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 2 May 2014 Zhurnalist Pavel Felgengauer ispolzovanie PZRK dokazyvaet chto boevoe yadro v Slavyanske eto rossijskij specnaz in Russian TV Rain 2 April 2014 Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 2 May 2014 Dozens die in Odessa rebels down Ukraine helicopters Reuters 2 May 2014 Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 2 May 2014 Kyiv Post 5 May 2014 Interior Ministry Four Ukrainian soldiers killed 30 wounded in anti terrorist operation in Sloviansk LIVE UPDATES Kyivpost com Archived from the original on 26 August 2021 Retrieved 14 May 2014 Za ocinkami MVS ubito ponad 30 teroristiv Ukrayinska pravda Pravda com ua 6 May 2014 Archived from the original on 11 May 2014 Retrieved 14 May 2014 Ukraine President Poroshenko hails turning point www bbc com BBC News Online 5 July 2014 Archived from the original on 6 July 2014 Retrieved 6 July 2014 Donetsk s Own Coup d Etat Ukrainian Policy 12 May 2014 Archived from the original on 13 May 2014 Retrieved 12 May 2014 Zamestitel Strelka vydvinul ultimatum ukrainskoj armii 24 chasa na vyvod vojsk Videofakt Obozrevatel Obozrevatel com 15 May 2014 Archived from the original on 17 May 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Stryelok poradiv meshkancyam Slov yanska tikati z mista Novini Ukrayini na 1 1 TSN ua Tsn ua 23 May 2014 Archived from the original on 25 May 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Christopher J Miller 13 May 2014 Rebel ambush near Kramatorsk kills seven Ukrainian paratroopers one rebel dead UPDATED Kyivpost com Archived from the original on 13 May 2014 Retrieved 14 May 2014 Dopis by Dmitry Tymchuk Pid Kramatorskom siloviki potrapili v zasidku Ye zagibli Ukrayinska pravda Pravda com ua Archived from the original on 21 March 2017 Retrieved 14 May 2014 LIGABiznesInformInformacionnoe agentstvo 13 May 2014 V Nacgvardii soobshili ob unichtozhenii 54 h terroristov v Slavyanske News liga net Archived from the original on 13 May 2014 Retrieved 14 May 2014 Minoboroni rozpovilo pro vtrati teroristiv pid Kramatorskom in Ukrainian Radio24 ua Archived from the original on 15 May 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Odin ukrainskij boec pogib eshe troe raneny v rezultate minometnogo obstrela pod Slavyanskom Archived 23 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine ZN 19 May 2014 V rezultate obstrela pod Slavyanskom raneny 4 silovika Tymchuk Archived 22 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Liga 20 May 2014 Ukrainskaya artilleriya razrushila zhilye doma v Slavyanske Archived 26 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine NTV 20 May 2014 Donetsk separatists say three civilians killed in Ukrainian government shelling of Sloviansk 7 June 2014 Archived from the original on 29 October 2015 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Iz Slavyanska evakuirovali bolee 100 detej Novosti Donbassa Okolo 120 detej pokinuli Slavyansk spasayas ot boevyh dejstvij SEGODNYa Segodnya ua Archived from the original on 8 June 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 National Guard says 12 Ukrainian security officers killed in helicopter shot down near Sloviansk Kyivpost com 29 May 2014 Archived from the original on 29 May 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Volodymyr Verbyany Julianna Goldman Daria Marchak 3 June 2014 Ukraine Fortifies Russian Border as Death Toll Climbs bloomberg com bloomberg com Archived from the original on 5 March 2017 Retrieved 13 August 2016 Meyer Henry Verbyany Volodymyr Marchak Daria 4 June 2014 Putin Offers to Meet Obama as East Ukraine Battles Rage Bloomberg News Archived from the original on 19 April 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Videos show Ukrainian surveillance plane shot down by MANPADS and crew jump from it 6 June 2014 Archived from the original on 2 June 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 David Stern 24 June 2014 Ukraine army helicopter shot down despite ceasefire BBC Archived from the original on 16 February 2015 Retrieved 21 June 2018 Terroristy v Slavyanske poshli v nastuplenie Dvoe voennyh Ukrainy ubity Archived 27 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Podrobnosti 24 May 2014 Ukraine crisis Moscow and Kiev seek end to bloodshed BBC News BBC News 6 June 2014 Archived from the original on 16 October 2014 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council report June 29 EUROMAIDAN PRESS News and Opinion from Across Ukraine Euromaidan Press 29 June 2014 Archived from the original on 1 July 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 a b c Two Ukrainian troops killed in battles with insurgents on June 3 OSCE says Luhansk blast on June 2 likely caused by airstrike UPDATES VIDEO 3 June 2014 Archived from the original on 21 June 2014 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Michael Pearson Azad Safarov Victoria Butenko 4 June 2014 Conflicting accounts in heightened eastern Ukraine fighting CNN Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Strelkov priznal chto ego komandiry v Slavyanske zanimayutsya maroderstvom i pohisheniem lyudej i on ih za eto rasstrelivaet 62 ua Novosti Donecka 62 ua 25 March 2009 Archived from the original on 28 May 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Strelkov Sloviansk people s mayor Ponomarev dismissed Kyivpost com 10 June 2014 Archived from the original on 10 June 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Captured Russian mercenary near Sloviansk condemns Putin asks for forgiveness Kyiv Post 21 June 2014 Archived from the original on 21 June 2014 Retrieved 21 June 2014 Fighting Intensifies in Ukraine After Cease Fire Is Ended The New York Times 1 July 2014 Archived from the original on 21 March 2017 Retrieved 28 February 2017 Poroshenko to visit Karachun Mountain in Donbas where new TV tower being built Archived 6 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine Interfax Ukraine 6 July 2016 a b c d Ukraine crisis Rebels abandon Sloviansk stronghold www bbc com BBC World News 5 July 2014 Archived from the original on 5 July 2014 Retrieved 5 July 2014 Balmforth Richard 7 July 2014 Ukraine tycoon pleads for city s safety after rebels vow to make stand www reuters com Archived from the original on 4 February 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2014 in Ukrainian Terrorists have to get out of Slavic were covered by peaceful people the National Security Council Archived 11 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrayinska Pravda 11 July 2014 Nad Slavyanskom podnyat ukrainskij flag Foto sprotyv info in Russian Information Resistance 5 July 2014 Archived from the original on 19 October 2017 Retrieved 5 July 2014 Slavyansk Osvobozhdennyj gorsovet iznutri VIDEO Archived 19 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Information Resistance 6 July 2014 retrieved 2014 17 06 in Ukrainian Shtepa released from captivity Archived 8 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrayinska Pravda 7 July 2014 BBC News Ukraine says forces retake two more rebel held cities Bbc com 1 January 1970 Archived from the original on 26 December 2018 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Ukrainian president hails breakthrough as Slavyansk seized from separatists The Guardian 6 July 2014 Archived from the original on 5 March 2017 Retrieved 16 December 2016 in Ukrainian Shtepa detained and escort convoys in Kharkiv Archived 13 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrayinska Pravda 11 July 2014 Yulia Gorbunova 24 July 2014 Dispatches Mass Grave Found in Eastern Ukraine Human Rights Watch Hrw org Archived from the original on 10 March 2017 Retrieved 21 August 2014 Was passiert mit den Kriegsgefangenen Bild 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 24 June 2014 Retrieved 29 July 2014 Rebellenchef nennt OSZE Beobachter Kriegsgefangene Bild 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 12 June 2014 Retrieved 29 July 2014 LA Times Archived from the original on 6 October 2012 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Ukraine im Live Ticker Wie nahe steht die Ukraine am Krieg USA werfen Russland Verdrehung der Tatsachen vor Politik Ausland in German Bild de 24 April 2014 Archived from the original on 20 June 2014 Retrieved 21 August 2014 U Slov yansku znik zv yazok iz zhurnalistom Sergiyem Shapovalom Telekritika ua 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Olga Whiting 20 May 2014 Separatists are demoralized They can be finished off Info Resist Archived from the original on 20 May 2014 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Teroristi u Slov yansku zahopili lvivskogo zhurnalista UKRINFORM Ukrinform ua 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 5 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Ukrainian Journalist Yuri Lelyavsky Freed Slovyansk RiaNovosti Journo The Interpreter 13 May 2014 Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 10 July 2014 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Tally of persons kidnapped by Russian backed insurgents in Ukraine s east grows to 16 Kyiv Post 23 April 2014 Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 a b c d e f g h i Mintz Zoe Full List of Journalists Captured in Ukraine Simon Ostrovsky Among 7 Reporters Kidnapped IB Times Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 a b Vitkine Benoit 6 July 2014 Ukraine le recit de la chute de Sloviansk tournant de la guerre entre l armee et les separatistes Le Monde in French Archived from the original on 6 July 2014 Retrieved 6 July 2014 a b c d e Ostrovsky Simon 25 April 2014 I Had It Pretty Easy Because I Was Let Go Simon Ostrovsky on His Detention in Sloviansk VICE NEWS Archived from the original on 26 April 2014 Retrieved 25 April 2014 Interview Three Weeks A Hostage in Slovyansk Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty 12 May 2014 Archived from the original on 10 July 2014 Retrieved 10 July 2014 Druzhina Gapicha Zhenyu gamseliv Berkut pitali pro Majdan UKRINFORM Ukrinform ua 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 5 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Press Published by Interpreter Mag Pressimus Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Brian Ries 46 UTC 29 April 2014 BuzzFeed Reporter Kidnapped in Ukraine I Was Pretty Freaked Out Mashable com Archived from the original on 4 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Kim Sengupta 26 April 2014 Ukraine crisis Death toll rises in a nation fearful of more bloodshed Europe World The Independent Archived from the original on 10 November 2019 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Ispoved vyzhivshego v Slavyanske plennika VESTI UKRAINE 2 June 2014 Archived from the original on 8 January 2018 Retrieved 8 January 2018 Paren iz Pravogo sektora My ezdili v Slavyansk na razvedku VESTI UKRAINE 29 April 2014 Archived from the original on 8 January 2018 Retrieved 8 January 2018 T17 03 02 00 17 03 8 May 2014 20 October 2012 Dead body of Prosvita s leader in Donetsk region captured by Donetsk People s Republic found in Luhansk region En interfax com ua Archived from the original on 8 May 2014 Retrieved 14 May 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Russian channels for its propaganda used sportsman from Kyiv Archived 27 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Ukrayinska Pravda 22 April 2014 The Right Sector activist in Sloviansk appeared to be a fitness coach Kiev Archived 2 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Segodnya 22 April 2014 a b These People Are Still Being Held by Armed Separatists in Ukraine VICE News 3 May 2014 Archived from the original on 5 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 a b Ukrainskie siloviki osvobodili zalozhnikov v Slavyanske Proisshestviya Top rbc ru Archived from the original on 9 July 2015 Retrieved 8 July 2014 a b c d e f g h German defence ministry unable to contact observer mission in east Ukraine Reuters 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 23 November 2018 Retrieved 5 July 2021 Ceskemu pozorovateli ve Slavjansku slo o zivot pohrozili mu ze poslouzi jako zivy stit in Czech Archived from the original on 5 May 2014 Retrieved 5 May 2014 Komanduyushij samooboronoj Slavyanska Igor Strelkov Zaderzhannye nablyudateli kadrovye razvedchiki Komsomolskaya pravda in Russian 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 15 September 2014 Retrieved 26 August 2014 Leonard Peter 27 April 2014 Observers held in Ukraine speak under armed guard Associated Press Archived from the original on 30 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Ukraine unrest Abducted OSCE observers freed BBC News 3 May 2014 Archived from the original on 30 December 2019 Retrieved 17 February 2020 Opolchency zaderzhali 40 ukrainskih diversantov v Slavyanske Lifenews ru 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 29 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Separatisti Gorlivki kazhut sho zahopili troh alfivciv Theinsider ua 27 April 2014 Archived from the original on 29 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Donetsk separatists took three Alpha agents Archived 30 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Euronews 27 April 2014 Mark Rachkevych 23 April 2014 Police Body of Pro Ukrainian Horlivka City Councilman found dead in river Kyiv Post Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Olearchyk Roman 23 April 2014 Kiev implicates Russia in politician s murder Financial Times Archived from the original on 20 February 2022 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Paul Roderick Gregory 1 May 2014 Paul Roderick Gregory Putin s Ukrainian executioners worse than Stalin s Kyivpost com Archived from the original on 12 May 2014 Retrieved 14 May 2014 Simon Ostrovsky U S journalist held in Ukraine now free World CBC News Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 24 April 2014 Archived from the original on 28 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Zhurnalist s dvojnym grazhdanstvom okazalsya informatorom Pravogo sektora NTV 23 April 2014 Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 American Journalist Under Investigation By Armed Gunmen in Slavyansk The Interpreter Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 Narodnyj mer Slavyanska ne sobiraetsya otpuskat amerikanskogo zhurnalista Gazeta 23 April 2014 Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 Simon Ostrovsky Has Been Released VICE News News vice com 24 April 2014 Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Latest from the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine based on information received up until 25 April 2014 Organization for Security and Co operation in Europe 26 April 2014 Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 26 April 2014 Interfax Ukraine 25 April 2014 Kyiv official Contact lost with OSCE mission members in Donetsk region they could be abducted by terrorists Kyiv Post Archived from the original on 25 April 2014 Retrieved 25 April 2014 Teroristi zahopili u Slov yansku avtobus iz predstavnikami OBSYe Archived from the original on 26 April 2014 Retrieved 29 October 2014 Mvs gov ua Retrieved 4 May 2014 Separatist leader in Ukraine city says Kiev spy is in detained group Trust org 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Sloviansk people s mayor confirms detention of bus with servicemen civilians Kyiv Post 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 4 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Press Published by Interpreter Mag Pressimus 25 April 2014 Archived from the original on 26 April 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Alpert Lukas I 25 April 2014 Military Observers Taken Hostage Ukraine Says The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on 20 February 2022 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Rachkevych Mark 26 April 2014 Alleged Russian Colonel Strelkov makes public appearance as self proclaimed chief of Donbass People s Militia Kyiv Post Archived from the original on 26 April 2014 Retrieved 26 April 2014 Police say pro Russians accidentally set fatal Odessa fire with Molotov cocktails LIVE UPDATES VIDEO Kyiv Post 17 April 2014 Archived from the original on 3 May 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2014 Associated Press in Donetsk 29 May 2014 East Ukraine rebel leader claims to have missing OSCE observers The Guardian Archived from the original on 5 March 2017 Retrieved 8 July 2014 Eastern cities Artemivsk Mariupol latest targets in Ukraine anti terror operation Kyiv Post 24 April 2014 Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to War in Donbas Sloviansk The Independent Ukraine crisis Kidnappings abound as the Donbass falls further into anarchy The Guardian Freed OSCE observers tell of ordeal during capture in Ukraine Polskie Radio Captive Polish OSCE observer in Ukraine speaks of real danger 6 July 2014 Road of death Destroyed armored group of terrorists inforesist org 48 52 12 N 37 37 30 E 48 8700 N 37 6250 E 48 8700 37 6250 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Siege of Sloviansk amp oldid 1214597878, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.