MOSCOW, May 09, 20:55 /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian law enforcers, who are conducting a “counter-terrorist operation” in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, used armoured vehicles against civilian population, the Russia 24 television channel reported on Friday.
Data on the number of victims of today’s hostilities in Mariupol are varying. Thus, Russia-24 cited the press service of the Donetsk region administration, which had reported three killed and 25 wounded, while the Ukrainian interior ministry said that about 20 protesters and one policeman had been killed and five people had been wounded. According to earlier reports, a freelance reporter of Russia’s RT television channel was wounded.
Vitaly Ivanov, a spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, told Itar-Tass that 20 civilians had been hurt and ten people had been shot dead as fire was opened from armoured vehicles.
Ukrainian law enforcers attacked participants in the Victory Day rally who gathered in front of the local police department building and tried to prevent its seizure. According to Ivanov, Ukrainian forces opened gunfire on policemen inside the building. Eyewitnesses said the building has been riddled with bullets and set on fire. Apart from that, Ukrainian law enforcers set fire to the building of the Mariupol City Council, Ivanov said.