Armoured vehicles destroyed in clashes between police, National Guard in Donetsk Region

Policemen and so-called Ukrainian National Guard soldiers are involved in clashes near the city of Kramatorsk, the Donetsk Region, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) press service said Tuesday.

 

The DPR press service told ITAR-TASS that “policemen put out of action a few armored vehicles of the Ukrainian armed forces, including one armored personnel carrier”.

No one has been reported injured or killed.

Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian parliament-appointed acting president, Verkhovna Rada speaker Oleksandr Turchynov said the Ukrainian military’s special operation in the country’s east will continue.

Ukraine is in turmoil after a coup occurred in the country in February following months of anti-government protests dubbed “Euromaidan”, which often turned violent. New people were propelled to power amid riots as President Viktor Yanukovych had to leave Ukraine citing security concerns.

After Crimea’s accession to Russia in March, protests against the new Ukrainian authorities erupted in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking southeastern territories, with demonstrators seizing some government buildings and demanding broader powers for regions.

 

The eastern Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk regions held referendums on March 11, in which most voters supported independence from Ukraine.

The Kiev authorities have been conducting what they call an antiterrorism operation in eastern Ukraine. Russia, which does not recognize the de facto Ukrainian leaders, has condemned the operation, apparently aimed to crack down on Ukrainian federalization supporters.