Ukrainian troops resume attacks on Slavyansk

Photo: AP photo

The Ukrainian troops resumed an active phase of the military operation in the Ukrainian town of Slavyansk at night, spokespeople for the headquarters of the national militia said.

According to the source, at night, the National Guard shelled the village of Semyonovka, the railway station of Slavyansk and the center of the town. The situation in the town remains extremely tense.

On May 20th, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a memorandum of understanding and peace, in a move to solve the political crisis in Ukraine that has been going on since November 2013. In particular, the MPs urged to withdraw the troops participating in the military operation in the south-east of Ukraine to places of their permanent deployment.

The document also calls for constitutional reforms and initiatives to consolidate the status of the Russian language in certain regions of the country. Dissatisfaction with a possible ban on the Russian language was one of the key factors in the deterioration of relations of the Russian-speaking south-east of Ukraine with the central government.