Ukrainian forces said they had hoisted the national flag over the strategic rebel-held port of Mariupol yesterday in their biggest advance since Petro Poroshenko's election as the insurgency-wrecked country's pro-Western president.
Mr. Poroshenko celebrate the soldiers "heroism" by proclaiming the industrial Sea of Azov city of half-a-million people the new temporary capital of Donetsk an eastern rustbelt region overrun by pro-Russian gunmen for the past two months
The 48-year-old chocolate boron rose to power in a snap may 25 ballot called after the February ouster of a Russian-backed leader by vowing to move Ukraine closer to Europe and end fighting that has claimed 270 lives.
But the battles have since only intensified and his calls for dialogue with more separatist leaders have been mostly ignored.
Mr. Poroshenko's troubles have been compounded by the threat of Ukraine being cut off from economically-vital Russian gas shipments as early as Monday morning because of a bitter price dispute.
Insurgents in the Donetsk region city of Mariupol suffered “heavy losses” and two government troops were injured as a planned operation against militants began at 4.50am (8.50am Thailand time), Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said yesterday on Face book.
Meanwhile, from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Russia of continuing to unsettle its neighbor. President Vladimir Putin” continues to destabilize eastern Ukraine”, Ms Clinton told France’s Inter radio. The Russian leader’s behavior is “not acceptable”, she said.
Ukraine says Russia is allowing fighters to freely cross their shared border, an accusation Mr. Putin danies. US President Barack Obama on June 5 gave Russia two weeks to stop supporting the insurgency or face more sanctions.
The operation in Mariupol was “successful”, with Ukrainian forces taking control of all the separatists’ strongholds, according to Mr. Avakov, who said 11 people were detained, two mines neutralized and Donetsk-bound at a road block.
“The situation in Mariupol is stable”, the minister said. “A Ukrainian flag has been raised above city hall” The offensive ended with 40 militants detained, Semen Semenchenko, a military commander, said on face book.