Civilians come under fire in Ukraine city

Kiev, May 9 (IANS/ITAR -TASS) A senior official of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has said that hostilities have resumed on the streets of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Denis Pushilin, a co-chairman of the government of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic told ITAR-TASS unidentified groups of gunmen, presumably National Guards, opened fire on civilians inside the city, adding there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Pushilin described the situation in the central city of Donetsk as calm.

"Victory Day celebrations are in progress. Flowers were laid at the Great Patriotic War victims memorial. At the moment a gala concert and rally are in progress. World War II veterans are attending the event," he said.

Ukrainian forces involved in the Kiev authorities' punitive operation in the east of the country stormed the building of the city council in Mariupol May 8. To protect themselves, people's militia members set fire to barricades made of automobile tyres.

The city council building in Mariupol changed hands several times over the past two days. The Ukrainian crack unit Omega stormed the building late in the evening May 7 using an unknown gas.

--IANS/ITAR-TASS

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