By Maria Tsvetkova SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – Pro-Russian rebels shot down two Ukrainian helicopters near separatist-held Slaviansk on Friday, killing two crew members, while Moscow accused Kiev of wrecking hopes of peace by launching a "criminal" assault to retake the eastern town. Separatists said Ukrainian forces killed three of their fighters and two civilians when they moved in on Slaviansk in the early hours, but that the troops had only taken five checkpoints from the rebels. On the other side of Ukraine, police said a man was shot dead in clashes between a crowd backing Kiev and pro-Russian activists in the largely Russian-speaking southern port of Odessa, which lies west of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in March.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pro-russian-rebels-ukraine-launches-operation-retake-eastern-045058057–finance.html

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