"The latest examples of escalation of the situation were a deliberate and clearly planned operation both in Shyrokyne and Starohnativka. All these cases are examples of how the Russian side along with Donetsk and Luhansk tries to derail the implementation of the Minsk agreements," said Klimkin, according to Ukraine Today.
400 Rusian-backed militants supported by tanks had attacked government forces near Starohnativka 60 miles away for the strategic port city of Mariupol, Ukraine's military said on August 10. Meanwhile, militant leaders have denied attacking Ukrainian government troops.
Control of Mariupol could help Russian-led fighters form a corridor to the Crimea peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine last year.
See unian.info’s video section for more of the latest news from Ukraine in video from Ukraine Today, Ukraine’s 24-hour English-language news channel.
