Dozens
of Russian fighter and bomber aircraft in Crimea redeployed
6:09
p.m. – Dozens of Russian Mig-29 and Su-27
fighter aircraft, and Tu-22 bombers were noticed in Crimea, reports
inforesist.org, a website operated by Ukrainian military expert and blogger
Dmitry Tymchuk.
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Ukrainian state-owned news agency Ukrinform reports that
the Russian aircraft were re-deployed due to the “situation in southeastern Ukraine.”
They were moved from a Simferopol district airbase toward the western coast of
the peninsula
Ukraine’s Security Service has stated that it
expects increased Russian-backed subversive activity in Ukraine beyond Donetsk
and Luhansk. – Mark Rachkevych
Police: Separatists set Odessa trade union
building on fire with Molotov cocktails
5:55 p.m. – Preliminary
findings from an Interior Ministry investigation suggest that pro-Russian
separatists in Odesa accidentally set the trade union building on fire with Molotov
cocktails.
According
to an Interior Ministry statement, separatists on April 2 broke into the trade
union building and barricaded themselves inside. They then from the roof started
throwing Molotov cocktails and shooting with firearms at “peaceful citizens.”
Some of
the incendiary devices hit the building causing a fire that eventually killed
more than 40 people, said the Interior Ministry statement. – Mark Rachkevych
Police:
Masked, armed men steal 17 vehicles from Horlivka car dealership
5:26
p.m. – The Interior Ministry reports that unidentified, masked, armed men
under the threat of gunfire stole 17 vehicles from a car dealership in
Horlivka. – Mark Rachkevych
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement on release of OSCE military monitors
The group of international and Ukrainian observers held hostage by extremists in Slovyansk was released today, May 3, as a result of a joint action plan of the Ukrainian Government, security and law enforcement bodies and Donetsk region officials, and the coordinated effort of the Russian mediators together with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.
The release was preceded by intense consultations and suspension of counter-terrorism operation.
Terrorists who had been holding hostages admitted the futility of their actions and released the people under the rigorous and persistent action of the international and Ukrainian factors.
At the same time, the decision itself was made after unambiguous instructions had been received from the Russian authorities, which yet again shows that the extremists are subordinated to Moscow.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the release of the OSCE monitors and views the successful conduct of this operation as an example of the ability of all parties concerned to observe the Geneva Accords of 17 April 2014, provided there is a political will of the parties to de-escalate the situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls for the continuation of all efforts necessary to implement the provisions of the Geneva Statement.
Authorities
take three civilians at gun point to roadblock north of Sloviansk
4:58
p.m. – Ukrainian troops were seen pointing guns at three middle-aged men
dressed in civilian clothing, one with a bicycle, while taking them to a check
point some five kilometers north of Sloviansk, according to a Kyiv Post
reporter in the area.
They were forced to kneel with their hands
behind their heads. One of the armed troops said, “the counterterrorism
operation is still ongoing.” – Mark
Rachkevych
Police:
Majority of detained in Odesa are Russians, residents of Transnistria
4:20 p.m.
– Most of the 172 people who were detained in Odesa on
May 2 during clashes between pro-Ukrainians and Russian separatists were either
from Russia or the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova where many
ethnic Russians live, UNIAN reports citing the Interior Ministry. – Mark Rachkevyvch
Tusk:
Russia waging undeclared war against Ukraine
3:10 p.m.
– Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Russia is waging war against Ukraine and
that Western diplomatic efforts to diffuse the situation in southeastern
Ukraine have filed, reports UNIAN in Poland.
Referring to recent events in Sloviansk and
Odesa, Tusk said: “This is war.
City hall ; things feel tense. Their waiting
for something. Maybe this is a different kind of (war) because it is an
undeclared war. But actually, what we have is de facto a war.” – Mark Rachkevych
UNIAN: Ukrainian National Guard frees SBU
building in Kramatorsk
3:05 p.m. – UNIAN news agency reports that Ukrainian National Guardsmen freed the
Kramatorsk Security Service (SBU) building in Kramatorsk of Kremlin-backed
rebels. Ukrainian forces also cleared all illegal roadblocks leading into the
city, took control of the airport and the local television tower. – Mark Rachkevych
Seven alleged Russian
mercenaries armed to teeth spotted in Kramatorsk
2:33 p.m. – A
Kyiv Post reporter in Kramatorsk sees at least seven armed men claiming to be “Russian
kozaks” armed with automatic rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers slung
around their shoulders in full combat gear in the center of Kramatorsk. They
have “identical uniforms, brand new weapons and Saint George ribbons” strewn on
their fatigues.
Nearby four vehicles are burning: two trolleybuses, one van and
a Russian Lada automobile. – Mark Rachkevych
Fifteen Russians and five Transnistria citizens among those who died in Odessa fire
On May 2, 15 Russian
citizens and five citizens of Moldova’s breakaway, Kremlin-backed Transnistria region died in the Trade
Unions House in Odessa on May 2, TSN television channel reports. They were
poisoned by carbon monoxide, according to the report. A total of 31 people perished
in the fire in the Trade Unions House after pro-Ukrainian supporters clashed
and Russia-backed separatists in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa. – Olena Goncharova
Russian lawmaker
calls on Russia to send army to Ukraine
2:15 p.m. – Russian
lawmaker Serhiy Mironov, head of the Just Russia party, Tweeted that Russia
should send troops to Ukraine to “defend our brothers,” Ukrainska Pravda
reported, concerning his reaction to a riot in Odesa where armed Russians
and local separatists on May 2 attacked a pro-Ukrainian rally and soccer fans
that left dozens killed. – Mark Rachkevych
Ukrainian counterterrorism
operation started at 1 p.m. in Kramatorsk
2: p.m. – Ukrainian
military expert and blogger Dmitry Tymchuk stated on his Inforesist.org website
that a military operation started at 1 p.m. in Kramatorsk to rid the city of
Kremlin-backed rebels. A video posted on the website shows Ukrainian military entering the city.
Trolleybus on fire in
central Kramatorsk (PICTURE)
1:54 P.M. – Local
Donetsk media outlet Ostro.org posted a picture of a trolleybus on fire in
central Kramatorsk. Earlier today, National Guard commander Lieutenant-General Stepan Poltorak said that Ukrainian
forces have “taken full control of the Kramatorsk airport and cleared all
roadblocks around the city.” – Mark Rachkevych
Pro-Russians with
firearms shot and killed soccer fans in Odesa
1:23 p.m. – An
eyewitness account from Odesa posted online states that Russian-backed
militants shot at and killed at least four soccer fans on April 2 near a park
in the city before a scheduled match. They had pistols and automatic weapons.
“Nobody expected to hear gun shots,” said
eyewitness Oleksandr Svidersky. – Mark Rachkevych
SBU confirms OSCE
military monitors freed
1:07 p.m. – Seven
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe military monitors were among
the 12 hostages that were freed in Sloviansk, said Ukraine Security Service counterterrorism
chief Vasyl Krutov at a briefing in Kyiv. He added that three counterterrorism
Alpha Group members are still held hostage. Five Ukrainian counterterrorism
members were killed on May 2-3, including 12 wounded. Ukrainian authorities
control the northern border of Slovyansk, reports a Kyiv Post reporter on the
ground in Sloviansk. Two water tanker trucks block a southern road leading into Sloviansk ahead of a pro-Russian check point that is burning tires filling the air with black plumes of smoke. The water tankers are riddled with bullet holes and one that is the size of a fist that appears to be from some kind of grenade launcher. – Mark Rachkevych
State Department statement on Odesa deaths
12:50 p.m. — From the U.S. State Department: “The United States today mourns with all Ukrainians the heartbreaking loss of life in Odesa. Today the international community must stand together in support of the Ukrainian people as they cope with this tragedy.
The violence and mayhem that led to so many senseless deaths and injuries is unacceptable. We call on all sides to work together to restore calm and law and order, and we call on the Ukrainian authorities to launch a full investigation and to bring all those responsible to justice.
The events in Odesa that led to the deadly fire in the Trade Union Building dramatically underscore the need for an immediate de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine. The violence and efforts to destabilize the country must end. We again call for the immediate implementation of the commitments made in Geneva on April 17. The United States stands ready to support this implementation. — Brian Bonner
Death toll rises in Odessa; 144 detained in investigation
12:20 p.m. — According to Interfax Ukraine news services, the death toll in Odessa has reached 46 people killed during clashes and a fire on May 2, Odessa Oblast prosecutor Ihor Borshuliak told reporters at a press conference on Saturday. He said that law enforcement officers have launched several inquiries, including into police professional negligence. A total of 144 persons have been detained as a part of criminal proceedings. According to the Odessa City Council, as of 9 a.m. on May 3, 214 people came to hospitals of Odessa. Of this number, 88 have been hospitalized, including a 17-year-old boy. — Brian Bonner
Separatists
kill two Ukrainian soldiers while shooting behind human shield in Andiryivka
11:20
a.m. – Citing National Guard Lieutenant-General Stepan Poltorak, the
Interior Ministry reports that Kremlin-backed insurgents shot to death two
Ukrainian soldiers, and wounded 12 more while shooting behind a human shield of
children and senior citizens at a roadblock in Andriyivka, Donetsk Oblast.
After re-grouping, according to Poltorak, the national guardsmen
held the roadblock and took over the Kramatorsk television tower center. – Mark Rachkevych
OSCE team
captured by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine has been freed
11 a.m. – A military monitoring team from the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe has been freed by Kremlin-backed militants, RIA
Novosti reports. Eight of them were initially taken hostage April 25 with
only one being released until May 3. There were still seven OSCE
representatives in captivity, and five Ukrainian military personnel who were
accompanying them. – Mark Rachkeyvch
Armed men in black clear illegal roadblock
near Krasnoarmeisk
10:48 a.m. – A video
posted on YouTube on May 2, show armed, masked men in black clear a roadblock
near the city of Krasnoarmeisk. The video claims that they detained 15
pro-Russian separatists and confiscated three Kalashnikov rifles. – Mark Rachkeyvch
Interior Ministry: Kremlin-backed insurgents set mines
near bridge leading to Slovyansk
10:33 a.m. – The
Interior Ministry says that its engineering and sapper units defused a bridge
that was mined by Kremlin-backed militants.
“Counterterrorism
sub-units continue the assault on Sloviansk,” reads the Interior Ministry’s
statement.
Citing
National Guard Lieutenant-General Stepan Poltorak, the statement said that
counterterrorism forces have “taken full
control of the Kramatorsk airport and cleared all roadblocks around the city.”
– Mark Rachkevych.
Ukrainian troops move to retake control of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on May 3.
SBU: Russia behind kidnapping of OSCE military observers (VIDEO)
Ukraine’s
Security Service (SBU) released a video that implicates Russia in the
kidnapping of eight military observers from the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe. The video allegedly shows telephone conversations
between Russian Military Intelligence Colonel Igor Girkin – who allegedly leads
the separatist movement in eastern Ukraine – and Vladimir Lukin, special
representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Officials
in Moscow have constantly denied involvement in the pro-Russian separatist
movement in eastern Ukraine.
However,
the conversation recordings show Girkin and Lukin coordinating their actions
while discussing a pending OSCE visit to Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, where the
OSCE observers are being held. In the conversations, Lukin tells Girkin that he
will lead an OSCE delegation to Slovyansk on the morning of April 3. Girkin
tells him that he will let him through the Russian-held roadblocks once he
receives a phone call that he is on his way.
“The
Russian delegation’s ‘active participation’ in securing the release of the
foreign hostages is nothing more than a dramatization,” reads an SBU statement
about the video recording. – Mark
Rachkevych
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