Slovyansk separatists ask Putin to intervene following checkpoint gun battle
Pro-Russian separatists declared a curfew in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk following Sunday’s gun battle at one of their checkpoints in which at least three people died. The incident has triggered a war of words between Moscow and Kyiv. The self proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk said the curfew was to last until 6am Monday morning. Vyacheslav Ponomaryov went on to make a direct appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he said: “I would like to address the leaders of the Russian Federation and personally Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. We beg you for help. If you cannot send the army as peacekeepers to help us, then help us by sending weapons, or in any other way you can.” There are fears that the gun fight and subsequent deaths could rip apart last week’s Geneva accord and provide Putin with an excuse to send his troops into eastern Ukraine. The separatists claim ultra-nationalists opened fire on the checkpoint, the ultra-nationalists have accused Russian special forces of staging the attack.
