Eastern Ukraine shootout leaves at least two dead

A separatist fighter put the death tally higher, saying the attackers — who he said were Ukrainian ultranationalists — killed one separatist immediately and two others in ensuing shooting after arriving in cars at the checkpoint and opening fire.

He said two of the attackers, who he said were from the far-right nationalist Right Sector group, which figured prominently in the overthrow in Kyiv of Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in February, were killed after the separatists brought in extra men.

Two Reuters journalists at the scene saw two dead people, one with gunshot wounds in the head and face. One of the dead was dressed in combat fatigues, the other in civilian clothes. Both bodies were lying in a truck, one covered with a blanket.

Many in Ukraine and the West fear that such clashes could provide a pretext for Russia to seize more Ukrainian territory. Russia, which annexed the Crimean Peninsula last month, has tens of thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine.

The reported incident dashed hopes for an Easter truce and a speedy demilitarization of the region under the Geneva accord worked out among the United States, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union.

Yuri Zhadobin, who coordinates the pro-Russian unit at the checkpoint in the village of Bylbasivka, told The Associated Press he was with about 20 men celebrating Easter when unknown men drove up in four vehicles and opened fire at about 3 a.m. local time.

"We began to shoot back from behind the barricades, and we threw Molotov cocktails at them," Zhadobin said. Two of the vehicles caught fire, and the attackers fled in the other two, he said.

In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry blamed the clash on the Right Sector. A spokesman for Right Sector, Artyom Skoropatskiy, denied any involvement in Sunday's shootout, which he called a provocation staged by Russian special services.

Russian state media have been feeding fears among Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine that their lives are in danger because of the Right Sector.

Russian state television first reported five dead Sunday in the attack — three pro-Russian activists and two attackers. Rossiya television later revised its report to one dead and two wounded on the pro-Russian side and up to seven killed or wounded among the attackers.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry issued a statement Sunday soon after the shootout referring to Slovyansk as the most dangerous city in Ukraine, because of the presence of “foreign saboteurs,” illegal militias and uncontrolled circulation of guns.

Ukrainian law enforcement lost control of the city after it was seized by armed militias, the statement said, adding that locals should hand over any unregistered firearms, including those that were stolen from government buildings and police stations in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. 

The ministry promised those responsible for distributing the firearms immunity from prosecution if they handed in stolen weapons, as long they did not commit "grave crimes."

Al Jazeera and wire services