ro-Russian gunmen atop armored personal carriers passing by barricades on a road leading into Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, May 5, 2014. Ukrainian authorities are undertaking a security operation to liberate the nearby city of Slovyansk, which is currently controlled by an armed pro-Russian insurgency.By RADUL RADOVANOVIC
Associated Press
SLOVYANSK, Ukraine – Ukraine’s Interior Ministry says 4 officers have been killed and 30 wounded in gunbattles with pro-Russia militants occupying the eastern city of Slovyansk.
Slovyansk has been the heart of an uprising in east Ukraine against the central government in Kiev, which came to power after the country’s Russia-leaning president fled following months of street protests.
A statement on the ministry’s website on Monday did not give further details about how those officers died. But a separate statement said Ukrainian troops had started an “anti-terrorist operation” Monday morning against the pro-Russia forces, which numbered around 800.