DOLZHANSKY: Ukraine said Thursday it had abandoned three checkpoints on the Russian border after a series of night-time attacks by separatists, and AFP reporters on the scene said at least one had been taken over by the militants.
The decision to leave the border posts came as the government vowed to beef up its security presence to counter pro-Russian rebels amid reports of continued fighting in the country’s east.
The three checkpoints, all in the volatile Lugansk region, were targeted in attacks by pro-Russian rebels overnight Wednesday to Thursday, the border guards said in a statement.
“After an exchange of fire, the threat to the lives of people crossing the border prompted the evacuation of civilians and border guards at the checkpoints,” the statement said.
On Thursday afternoon, Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag no longer flew over the border post at Dolzhansky after it had been taken over by about 10 armed pro-Russian rebels who allowed vehicles to pass in both directions.
Numerous civilians were also crossing into Russia on foot with suitcases and bags of belongings, seeking refuge from the hostilities on the Ukrainian side.
“The Ukrainian border guards numbered about 50 and left toward 5 a.m. today,” said Vitaly Bliznyuk, the commander of a group of pro-Russian fighters.
“When we got here, we noticed that the border guards had already left and had detonated their ammunition beforehand,” he told AFP.
No comments:
Post a Comment