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Anti-government demonstrators storm the regional police station in Krasnoarmiisk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. AP/Press Association Images

Military helicopter shot down as Ukraine army launches assault on insurgents

Troops have also been put on full combat alert in response to the estimated 40,000 Russian troops massed on the border.

UKRAINE’S ARMY LAUNCHED what insurgents said was a full-scale military assault on the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, raising the stakes in the stand-off with Russia, which has vowed “catastrophic consequences” if Kiev stepped up operations.

Gunfire and explosions were heard near the rebel-held town and a spokeswoman for the insurgents in control of Slavyansk claimed their fighters had shot down an Ukrainian helicopter – something which was later confirmed by the government.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced the pilot’s death on his official Facebook page, confirming information from the insurgents.

An AFP reporter on the scene saw a column of eight armoured vehicles breaching a rebel-held checkpoint just south of Slavyansk. The raid marked a dramatic escalation in the crisis and came a day after Ukraine’s interim president reintroduced conscription amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.

Oleksandr Turchynov has also put his armed forces on “full-combat alert” in response to the estimated 40,000 Russian troops massed on the border.

He has admitted his authorities are powerless to stop a growing insurgency in the eastern part of the country, where pro-Russian rebels have seized control of more than a dozen towns and cities.

A violent group of 300 or so young militants late Thursday stormed the prosecutor’s office in the industrial hub of Donetsk, hurling petrol bombs and rocks at overwhelmed riot police.

Ukrainian media reported that a prosecutor’s office in the town of Horlivka and a police station in Krasnoarmiysk were also overrun.

As the crisis rapidly spirals into the worse East-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War, US President Barack Obama was due to discuss the tensions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House later Friday.

‘Rather remarkable statement’

Helicopters were seen circling low over Slavyansk, which has become the epicentre of rebel activity in the increasingly chaotic east of Ukraine.

Eight armoured vehicles and several soldiers were seen taking position at a checkpoint just to the south of the town and warned off anybody trying to approach.

Sporadic small-arms fire and three explosions were heard at a distance. Rebels had set at least one roadblock on fire to produce cloaking smoke.

Central Slavyansk itself was relatively calm, but the town’s church was ringing its bells to alert the population of 160,000.

The self-styled rebel mayor of the town, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, has been warning for several days that the Western-backed authorities in Kiev would attack the town.

In what they call an “anti-terrorist” operation, the Ukrainian forces had for days encircled the town to prevent the insurgents receiving reinforcements.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that any effort by Kiev to intensify its military operation “against its own people” in the east could have “catastrophic consequences”.

The military advances in Slavyansk could also jeopardise efforts to free 30-50 hostages being held in Slavyansk, including seven European monitors from the OSCE.

Hopes had been raised in recent days that the seven — four Germans, a Dane, a Czech and a Pole — might soon be released as Ponomaryov said negotiations were going well.

Ukraine has accused the rebels in Slavyansk of wanting to use them as human shields.

Germany appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene to win the monitors’ freedom. The Kremlin strongman responded that Kiev should end its military operations in rebel-held territory.

That sparked a derisive response from the White House.

A spokesman said: “That was a rather remarkable statement… (calling) on Ukraine to remove its forces from its country, which is preposterous, if you think about it.”

Russia ‘won’t do anything stupid’

The West and Kiev believe that the chaos in eastern Ukraine is being sown by Moscow in a bid to destabilise the former Soviet republic ahead of planned presidential elections on May 25.

Kremlin has denied the charges, but has reserved the right to use troops to protect Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, a region that has deep cultural and historical ties to Moscow.

The Western response has been to launch sanctions against members of Putin’s inner circle and target key firms in a bid to attack Russia’s already recession-hit economy.

Moscow has reacted angrily, threatening to retaliate against Western interests in the lucrative energy sector but has vowed a measured response.

Russia “will not rush to do anything stupid”, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on a Thursday trip to Latin America.

All eyes are now on Obama and Merkel’s meeting in Washington to see what the West’s next move will be.

Also later Friday, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union will hold talks over debts running into billions of dollars that state-run Russian gas firm Gazprom says Kiev owes.

Putin has warned that not paying the bill, which Gazprom estimates at $3.5 billion, could lead to him turning off the taps, which would also affect several European countries.

Kiev is expected to use part of a $17-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, announced on Wednesday, to settle the bill.

But the IMF has warned that the loan, $3.2 billion of which is available immediately, would need to be “re-designed” if Kiev were to “lose effective control over the east”.

The unrest in Ukraine, which started with peaceful demonstrations in Kiev in November against pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to ditch a pact for closer integration with the EU, has rapidly degenerated into a full-blown global crisis.

After a deadly crackdown on protesters, Yanukovych was forced out in February, sparking fury in Moscow which responded with a blitz annexation of Crimea.

The pro-Russia rebels who have been steadily taking more ground in the east vow to hold their own Crimea-style “referendum” on independence on May 11 — two weeks before the nationwide presidential vote.

- © AFP 2014.

Read: Military conscription introduced in Ukraine as petrol bombers take over more buildings>

Ukraine: Pro-Russia gunmen seize town hall>

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    Mute Gerard J. Hannan
    Favourite Gerard J. Hannan
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    Mar 28th 2018, 7:46 AM

    Hopefully now that things are calming he might take time out to release a new Gangham song for us fans.

    101
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    Mute pats brandon
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    Mar 28th 2018, 7:06 AM

    Quick! Someone stop Leo before he invites him here!

    74
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    Mute Fabio Dillon
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    Mar 28th 2018, 7:09 AM

    @pats brandon: what has Leo got to do with this?

    79
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    Mute nelly
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    Mar 28th 2018, 7:58 AM

    @Fabio Dillon: it’s called a humorous comment and as for Leo and Kim that won’t happen as there is no way you can be seen to meet with a monster, who has destroyed his peoples lives and forced more than a few people to leave their home and birth place for a better life and whose people are now suffering from food shortage, no money and health system that is 3rd world and has people dying as a result.
    But if Kim has no problem with this and can overlook Leo’s faults and failings to the irish people so be it

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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:12 AM

    @nelly:
    Trying to compare Ireland to NK is moronic, even if its an attempt to be humourous.

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    Mute nelly
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:27 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: so sorry snowflake, did I upset you

    27
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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:28 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: who performed your humour bypass?

    Damn good whoever it was….

    22
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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:04 AM

    @Dessie Deratta:
    I have a great sense of humour thanks sweetheart – it’s just that there was nothing even remotely funny in Nelly’s comment.

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    Mute nelly
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:20 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: 25 thumbs up and counting says different. Unfortunately the journal and snowflakes, like yourself got rid of the red thumbs down, as you don’t do rejection well. Smiley face, smiley face, humorous face, laughing face. Wave bye bye

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    Mute Michael Geraghty Bodycoach
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    Mar 28th 2018, 10:17 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: I’d say you’re great Craic over a pint.

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    Mute Colm Mullen
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    Mar 28th 2018, 10:34 AM

    @nelly: except for food shortage, I agree 100%

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    Mute tweetforjunk
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    Mar 28th 2018, 11:38 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: No you don’t and yes there was.

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    Mute Anton Friendo
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    Mar 28th 2018, 11:55 AM

    @pats brandon: Leo can invite Justin Trudea for an afternoon of ..
    Orange Mocha Frappuccino’s ! !!!!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTrxEQnPtAg

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    Mute Fabio Dillon
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    Mar 28th 2018, 3:55 PM

    @nelly: yeah it’s not a humorous comment. Completely and utterly a non relevant comment. Thanks for your dribble though.

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    Mute pc_comments
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    Mar 28th 2018, 7:33 AM

    Chins finally taking some responsibility for this rogue leader with nuclear weapons which they created…….Have to give Trump some credit for this…..

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Mar 28th 2018, 7:56 AM

    @pc_comments: What are you talking about?

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:24 AM

    @pc_comments: in this case you could use the common typo “rouge regime” and still be right.

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    Mute WoodlandBard
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    Mar 28th 2018, 10:13 AM

    @pc_comments: yes, puzzled myself. Read somewhere, USA has 5500 nuke warheads, Russia has about 4000 nukes, China has 250, India and Pakistan have about 5 each, and there is world panic that Rocket Man may have 1 ???

    6
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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:03 AM

    Expel some Chinese diplomats.

    We don’t need an actual reason….or must we wait till British spooks instruct us to?

    37
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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:04 AM

    @Dessie Deratta: What has china done on ireland?

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    Mute Ronaldo Blanc
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    Mar 28th 2018, 2:09 PM

    @Sean Conway: What have the Russians done to Ireland? Tory boys Leo and Simon wanting to please their superiors.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Mar 28th 2018, 6:23 PM

    @Dessie Deratta: Stick to your day job.

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:34 PM

    @Sean Conway: As we see from the Russian affair we don’t need a reason…neither China nor Russia have every done Ireland any harm.

    But lets expel them to show solidarity with the Pentagon.

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    Mute Ger Burke
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:11 AM

    Donald will sort out all those lads

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Mar 28th 2018, 11:20 AM

    @Ger Burke: The guy can’t even hire a lawyer.

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    Mute Ger Burke
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    Mar 28th 2018, 3:00 PM

    @Larry Doyle: Thanks for the leftie input. Took a while for you to come up with that I’d say.

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    Mute Centerro
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:00 AM

    Now, let’s hope these two lads can sort things out themselves. No need for the US to stick their beak in. N.korea are no more a threat to the world than Wales are.

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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:16 AM

    @Centerro:
    Tell that to the South Koreans

    15
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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:26 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: actually the SoKos are scared that Trump will start a war that will kill millions of them.

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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:08 AM

    @Dessie Deratta:
    It’s possible to be afraid of both the US and NK you know. They just don’t want a war full stop, and who could blame them?

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:34 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: It’s ok for th US to have a civil war. but korea or anyone shouldn’t?

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 28th 2018, 1:08 PM

    @Sean Conway: They did have one. 1950 to 1952. Read a history book.

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    Mute Adam Reid
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    Mar 28th 2018, 11:28 AM

    Another triumph for Trump.

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    Mute Liam Rogers
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:00 AM

    Its a good step forward

    5
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    Mute Adrian
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:17 AM

    Funny how a guy that’s worshipped so much in North Korea is so scared that he has to take secret trips abroad. Thought he’d be a guy for full state honours when he travels abroad. But then the north Koreans probably don’t even know he’s gone!

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 28th 2018, 8:31 AM

    @Adrian: apparently he is afraid of flying.

    Perhaps not for the same reason that many people are.

    9
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    Mute Me_a_monkey
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    Mar 28th 2018, 9:10 AM

    @Adrian: probably so much secrecy because he’s scared of being assassinated or being kidnapped by the CIA.

    If either happened the country would deny it and his clone would take over!

    8
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    Mute johnbunton
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    Mar 28th 2018, 12:09 PM

    I’d love to go for a pint him

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    Mute johnbunton
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    Mar 28th 2018, 12:09 PM

    @johnbunton: with him

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