UNITED NATIONS, May 02. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia is calling an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the punitive operation staged by the Kiev authorities in Ukraine’s southeastern regions, a spokesman for Russia’s permanent mission at the United Nations told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

“Russia is calling an open meeting of the United Nations Security Council over Kiev’s punitive operation,” the spokesman said, adding that the meeting would begin after a closed-doors meeting of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to the Council’s schedule for 2-3 May.

Ukrainian special forces have started a punitive operation in the city of Sloviansk early on Friday morning. “A full sweep operation was launched” with armoured vehicles and warplanes involved in it, a representative of the city militia told ITAR-TASS. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated that two Ukrainian Air Force’s helicopter gunships Mil Mi-24 had been downed and a military transport helicopter Mi-8 had been damaged in clashes.

Three people, including two servicemen and a militiaman were reported killed.

Earlier, Ukrainian Security Service’s anti-terrorism centre reported about “the gunfire at a third helicopter gunship” which participated in a special operation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, the country’s security service stated at its website on Friday.

“A person was wounded” in the gunfire. The country’s Security Service also claimed that “nine checkpoints were taken under control on the outskirts of Sloviansk.

Ukrainian army helicopter gunships delivered strikes at massive gatherings of civilians in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, a city resident said on Friday.

“Helicopter gunships have made several attack runs and delivered strikes,” the eyewitness said.

Sloviansk people’s mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev has made a video address to local residents earlier in the day asking children, women and pensioners not to leave their homes and asked men to “give all their aid” to policemen.

“Our city was attacked, our city is being stormed, we suffer some losses,” Ponomarev said, adding that “We will protect our city, we will win.”

Ponomarev’s address to Sloviansk residents was delivered shortly after local residents started making a live shield on the roads leading to the city and near checkpoints to prevent Ukrainian law enforcement columns from entering the city.

Ponomarev also noted that one person was killed and another one was wounded in the military strikes on the city.