Ukraine government, rebels both claim to control Donetsk airport

Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian government troops fought pitched battles Monday for control of Donetsk airport, while residential areas nearby were caught in intensive crossfire. The rebels say they have fully seized the airport in recent fighting, but Ukrainian officials reject the claim. They say Ukrainian troops are still holding out in the wreckage. The separatists increased the stakes last week by successfully taking over large sections of the airport before the Ukrainians unleashed a counter-offensive, but it’s impossible independently to determine whose forces were currently in control of various sections of the airport.

Today we will show just how much we can smash [the rebels’] teeth in.

Yuriy Biryukov, an adviser to Poroshenko, in a post on Facebook

Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of helping the rebels in the east with troops and weapons. Moscow has denied the charge, but acknowledged that some Russians have joined the insurgents. In Brussels, European Union foreign ministers ruled out any easing of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said Monday the fighting around Donetsk airport showed “this is no time to talk about the easing of sanctions”.

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