50 days of war

ATO in the east of Ukraine. The battles in Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Lugansk and the Lugansk region do not stop

Morning on June’s third, 51st day of the ATO, began with reports on the concentration of military equipment near Slavyansk. According to eyewitnesses, the Ukrainian army intensified its actions in this direction. On the eve of the authorities announced the beginning of the "active phase" of operations in the east of Ukraine. The military claims that now the ATO has entered the final stage, which should end with the complete liberation of cities and administrative buildings captured by separatists.

At the entrances to #Slavyansk from the side of Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk, many Ukr are concentrated. military equipment http://t.co/ujddjp3mgs

- Ridus (@ridusnews) June 3, 2014

Two fighters and a helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force inflicted missile strikes on Semenovka (eastern outskirts of Slavyansk). This was reported by the correspondent of the agency "Ridus" , located at the scene.
According to the self -proclaimed "people's mayor" of the city Vyacheslav Ponomarev, one person died as a result of shelling. According to him, the city left up to 40% of residents (the population of Slavyansk is about 110 thousand people), but seven thousand children remain.

In Kramatorsk in the area of the airfield there is a battle. From time to time, explosions of artillery shells and machine -gun queues are heard, local residents report on social networks. Eyewitnesses claim that the Ukrainian military is firing at the separatist checkpoint, which is located next to residential buildings. According to ITAR-TASS, battles are also waged in the area of the village of Yasnogorka on the outskirts of the city. Earlier it was reported that three people were killed as a result of clashes. In the area of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, an attack was attacked on a military column moving to Slavyansk from the city of Izyum, Kharkov region, one soldier died.

In the village of Voevodovka near Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region, the military fired at the roadblocks of the "militias", reported with reference to representatives of the "Lugansk People's Republic". No one was injured.

On Monday, June 2, as a result of the explosion of the building of the Lugansk regional administration, seven people died. The Militias said that we are talking about an air strike applied by the Ukrainian Air Force. In turn, in the regional administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the explosion in the regional administration was called the mistake of the separatists, who, trying to knock the plane from the anti -aircraft complex, released the rocket on the building.

Yesterday, on the outskirts of Lugansk, but near the residential areas , the battle of border guards with the detachments of the "militias" lasted almost 20 hours . There are wounded on both sides. The five killed separatists are reported. The border guards were able to recapture after the army special forces came to their aid.

The population of Lugansk now perceives what is happening precisely as a war, says Andrei Dikhtyarenko, editor -in -chief of the Lugansk “Real Gazeta”. The last issue of the newspaper came out with the title of “War” written in large letters. Until yesterday, the struggle unfolded more on the ideological field, says Andrei Dikhtyarenko :

- Everyone watched the news from Donetsk, from the outskirts of Lugansk. But it was on June 2 that explosions began and victims appeared in the city center. Yesterday the line was crossed, beyond which no Luhansk resident can say that he lives in a peaceful city.

—Is of the explosion in the building of the Lugansk regional administration, there are two opposite versions: the shelling of the army or the hit of a rocket released by the separatists themselves. Which version is tended to trust the inhabitants of Lugansk?

- There are supporters of both versions who absolutely do not perceive each other's arguments. This is another feature of the situation in which we all ended up. But according to my sensations, most inhabitants are inclined to the fact that it was a shot from an airplane. The investigation should be carried out by military experts, which in wartime it is not necessary to expect, because, obviously, both sides of the conflict are not interested in establishing objective truth. People accept a simple causal relationship: the plane flew, there was an explosion, victims appeared. Another seems too complicated to them. But even if the shot is really made from the plane, no one doubts that the reason for this was the attack on the border guard. But the situation in the city is such that even any careless word can serve as an occasion for another outbreak of aggression.