Slovyansk militia claims 3 were killed as projectiles hit apartment building
DONETSK. May 27 (Interfax) - Fierce armed clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and local militiamen took place in the city of Slovyansk and nearby villages last night, a spokesman for the local militia headquarters told Interfax.
"Three people were killed and scores were injured when two projectiles hit a section of a nine-storey apartment building last night. The National Guard launched strikes against us from the Severny neighborhood and the village of Semenivka. There have been casualties and injuries on our side. Their exact numbers are not yet known," the spokesman said.
A Slovyansk diocese, for its part, said in a press release that a woman died as a result of a mine explosion near the Church of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God in the Artem neighborhood of Slovyansk.
The force of the blast blew out several windows of the church and damaged the building facade and the fence. The mine landed just ten meters from the church, which was empty of worshippers at that time, it said.
"Strikes targeting this part of the city started at around 7:30 p.m. Five mines were launched in the direction of the Artem neighborhood, damaging residential buildings and a dormitory, where students were staying. Another mine damaged an apartment building located 200 meters from the church. The information available suggests that two people, a man and a woman, were killed in this building," according to the press release.
Artem is Slovyansk's most densely populated neighborhood, where approximately 40,000 people live.
The Church of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God is the center of the district's spiritual life. It took local residents three years to build it. Parents and their children frequently walk near the church when no religious services are taking place inside it.
