At least 30 bodies of killed fighters have been brought to a hospital following a day of heavy fighting in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, in which the government forces used combat jets and helicopter gunships against pro-Russia rebels, an insurgent said on Tuesday.
The rebel fighter, on condition of anonymity, said outside the hospital in Donetsk that 30 bodies of his fellow insurgents were delivered there.
Sustained artillery and gun fire had been heard from the airport in Donetsk, a city of one million, on Monday. Fighter jets and military helicopters were seen flying overhead and dense black smoke rose in the air. Many flights to or from Donetsk were delayed or cancelled and access to the airport was blocked by police.
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The airstrikes against the separatists in control of Donetsk airport appeared to be the most visible government military operation yet since it started a crackdown on insurgents last month.
Monday’s battle came just as billionaire candy magnate Petro Poroshenko claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential vote. Mr. Poroshenko has vowed to negotiate a peaceful end to an insurgency in the east, where rebels have seized government offices and fought Ukrainian troops for more than a month. Yet he described the separatists as “Somali pirates.”