There's heavy fighting going on in Donetsk right now.

[Comrade Grumpy]

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Donetsk&src=hash

Ukrainian Air Force planes and helicopters attacking the airport and the train station where separatist militias are.

Reports of lots of casualties.

Photo of dead old woman at train station. One Tweeter blames Ukrainian artillery; another blames "Russian/Chechen mecenaries run amok doing Putin's 'dirty war' in Eastern Ukraine."

[polly7]

1. How horrible and sad. nt.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Tweet from British Foreign Minister William Hague:

VVilliam Hague ?@WillllamJHague 22m


Congratulations President Poroshenko on a great first day's work as #Ukraine's leader! pic.twitter.com/w8OCngXmB5

[Laelth]

3. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Igel]

4. Yup.

Started in the evening with the take-over of the airport by the DPR's "people's army". Snipers, etc.

Ukr forces had retreated, got reinforcements, and counter-struck. It spread when some of the DPR folk moved into the surrounding neighborhood and then occupied a "transit station" (I'm guessing that's how you'd translate it, sort of sounds like a train station with multiple lines from multiple cities). Reports are there were some 200 fighters. It's worth taking out that many fighters, since this was preplanned and the airport is an important target. Not just for show--the way they took over a tax building yesterday, spent the night after trashing it, and then left it for the workers to find this morning. You have the airport, you can get uninterrupted supplies and reinforcements.

Along the way the DPR got reinforcements on the ground. Some claims are that they're Chechens, or at least Caucasians. There have been videos posted from checkpoints, etc., where the "guards" are clearly not speaking any Slavic language or Moldovan, and it's highly unlikely they're speaking Tatar. Hard to ascertain their authenticity, but it's worth pointing out that the pepole they're interacting with are Russian speakers (mostly Ukrainian Russian, with the g > h change that's S. Russian as well and oh-so-substandard in Moscow, not the norm in the Caucasus AFAIK). Other claims are that they're combatants from Slavyansk that morphed into "civilians" to pass through Ukr checkpoints, only to become combatants a few miles down the road. Meh.

Donetsk is an important place. The city mayor--not the self-appointed one--said to stay inside, and that they're rerouting transportation around the affected areas. novosti.dn.ua is pro-Ukr but frequently updated.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Fighting now being reported in Slaviansk, Mariupol, too.

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. "Battle of Donetsk Airport Proves Inconclusive."

http://www.smh.com.au/world/battle-of-donetsk-airport-proves-inconclusive-20140527-zrp2w.html


Donetsk, eastern Ukraine: As the smoke cleared, it seemed that the first showcase assault on eastern separatist forces under Ukraine’s newly elected President Petro Poroshenko, was a bit of a fizzer. Fighter jets wheeled over this city and choppers landed government paratroopers at the local airport – named for the composer Sergei Prokofiev, a Donetsk boy made good – ahead of an attempt by ground forces to retake the terminal, which had been occupied by separatists in the early hours of Monday.

There were great plumes of smoke and the sound of artillery and automatic gunfire could be heard for about three hours. But when the fighting eased roads to the airport remained blocked, airlines announced that all flights had been cancelled and there was no confirmation that the facility had been wrested back from separatist controls.

<snip>

Donetsk on Monday evening was filled with uncertainty. As wild thunderstorms hit the district, rebel forces were bulking up the numbers at their checkpoints and barricades and calling for blood donations to local hospitals. Later, there were reports of clashes at the city’s railway station and pictures on social media of smoke billowing from a building which locals identified as the railway station. There were also pictures of what appeared to be a woman’s body nearby on the pavement.

And late in the evening residents said they could still hear gunfire from the airport as rumours spread that separatist leaders had imposed a curfew – though steady traffic through the city left questions about that

[dipsydoodle]

7. Chechen leader says he sent no troops to Ukraine

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) -- Chechnya's regional leader said Wednesday that he hasn't sent any troops to fight alongside pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine, but he says some Chechens may have gone there on their own.

In a statement posted on his Instagram, Ramzan Kadyrov said two-thirds of three million Chechens live outside the province in Russia's North Caucasus mountains, so he "can't and mustn't know where each of them goes."

Fighters who looked like residents of the Caucasus were seen among pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine, where they have seized government buildings and fought with Ukrainian forces. Ukraine and the West have accused Moscow of fomenting the unrest, but it has denied the claim.

In the most ferocious battle yet, rebels in Donetsk tried to take control of its airport Monday, but were repelled by Ukrainian forces using combat jets and helicopter gunships and lost dozens of men. Some insurgents said up to 100 may have been killed.

>

Kadyrov's forces, known for their warrior spirit and deadly efficiency, helped Russia win a quick victory in a 2008 war with Georgia. The 37-year old leader has vowed an unswerving fealty to Russian President Vladimir Putin and hailed his policy in Ukraine.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UKRAINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-28-03-12-26