Gunfire and explosions rocked the pro-Russian separatist Ukrainian city Sloviansk this morning, where the team of OSCE observers has been detained for a week. Kiev's army has launched a vast military operation, with eight armored vehicles and dozens of soldiers taking control of an access road south of Sloviansk, dismantling a pro-Russian checkpoint.
The Ukrainian forces also fielded twenty helicopters, four of which were reportedly shot down by anti-aircraft missiles: two pilots were killed, according to Kiev.
Tension is back in eastern Ukraine: church bells have warned the population that danger is at hand. Sources in the Ukrainian Interior Ministry have announced that the government will not comment on what is happening in Sloviansk "until the operation is completed". The offensive, if confirmed, would be the first military response to the pro-Russian militiamen who have taken control of numerous public buildings in southeastern cities of the former Soviet republic, sparking the toughest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the days of the Cold War.
In today's meeting between US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will meet in the White House, the crisis in Ukraine will be at the center of the talks.
