Kiev: The mayor of Ukraine’s second-largest city was shot in the back on Monday and pro-Russia insurgents seized yet another government building as tensions rose in eastern Ukraine ahead of a new round of US sanctions.
Armed insurgents tacitly backed by Moscow are seeking more autonomy in the region from the interim government in Kiev.
Hennady Kernes, the mayor of Kharkiv, was shot in the back on Monday morning, his office said. Mr Kernes was said to be undergoing surgery and “doctors are fighting for his life,” according to the city hall.
Gunmen seize another Ukrainian town
Kostyantynivka: Heavily armed pro-Russian gunmen on Monday seized another town in east Ukraine, storming the town hall in Kostyantynivka and setting up barricades, an AFP journalist saw.
Kostyantynivka has 80,000 inhabitants and is located mid-way between the flashpoint town of Slavyansk and the regional hub city of Donetsk, both of which are also under the control of insurgents.
Some 20 militants armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and wearing uniforms with no insignias took control of the town hall and hoisted the flag of the “Donetsk Republic”.
The gunmen also set up a perimeter around the adjoining police station in the town.
