we've seen a new phase around slavyansk. those on the ground say things have been come parativelily quiet this morning. in town they have heard some shooting. things were apparently quiet. there were also reports confirmed from the interior minister that a helicopter was being shot down and the pilot killed. clearly a new phase in the operation here but one that you've seen in the past, haven't had immediate resounding success against the pro russian militants. they are while not themselves being particularly well trained, they are organized. they are assisting them in what they are doing. we saw last night this may have been coming, we saw the withdrawal at the checkpoint which had been approached one time and another time. they pulled back 200 meters further down the road. perhaps they were aware this may have been coming. all of that simply a precaution for the region's history. we're seeing a different phase of the ukrainian operation certainly moving in and around the town. a lot of that done by pro russian militants wh

the ground assault on slavyansk also broke down. we found these ukrainian troops laid up on the outskirts. this is just one part of the ring that ukrainian forces have now thrown up around the town of slavyansk where there was a pro-russian road block. they've taken it over, set up their own. there are armored personnel carriers stationed up there with dozens of troops. but confronting them here, angry villagers furious about what's happened this morning. they are the soldiers of their own army, yet these people see them as invaders come to occupy. i'm standing here to stop ukrainian troops getting into slavyansk, this woman told me. at another checkpoint nearby, they went further trying physically to block the path of armored vehicles. repeated volleys of shots fired over their heads doing very little to deter them. if they do try to move into the center of slavyansk, dozens, possibly hundreds of well-organized defenders are there to meet them. they have captured armored vehicles and some are very professional-looking troops in a c

there's fierce flighting in slavyansk. it is a ukrainian helicopter shot down and a steady stream of wounded. [ shouting in foreign language ] in odessa, the volatile mix of russian-speaking separatists and pro-ukrainian groups have battled for several days. at least 46 people are dead so far. pro-moscow sympathizers stormed the police station in odessa. they smashed their way in. a short time later, they celebrated after setting free 67 of their comrades. ukrainian government blames russia for stirring up the violence. there are 40 to 50,000 russian troops massed on the border with ukraine. our nick payton walsh joining us live. what are you seeing on the ground? >> wolf, we've come out of the town of slavyansk. it was clear the ukrainian military were on the move. we saw one of their snipers heading down the road. as we moved further, those pro-russian militants were building up in numbers and clashes then broke out. at the hospital, we saw a procession of ambulances bringing in, at first, one woman who was shot, her hus

one injured helicopter pilot is currently undergoing surgery in slavyansk this apparent. footage of him off to the crash scene of the man helping him to safety are reportedly pro autonomy activists you know the leaders in kiev have previously admitted the army is unable to quell the on the rest of the east international relations expert mocks the border he believes the pressure from radical groups is forcing them to try and reverse that. a few days ago we saw a massive. late night march by torchlight ultra nationalist downtown kiev that entered then into riots that were demanding that the regime either take decisive military action to take control of the country or that it would be overthrown if i may we did manage to speak to one of the self-defense come on is on the ground just for a moment let's pause and have a quick listen to what he had to say at the moment right sector and military are coming closer to the city we are planning to meet along the it sags so far at least to have a culture as has been destroyed and one injured pilot is now receiving the a there are no

certainly inside this booth here i spoke to the mayor, self-declared mayor of slavyansk.ccompanying a dig terry from the opposition and asked him how come russian's kremlin-run tv station is running along the bottom of its out put on the air last night advice on locations where people can vote. how is it possible if russia says it's not involved? he said he didn't know about that. and reminded me that vladimir put tin said -- there were precise locations for how a town would vote in a referendum in ukraine, that advice being given out by a kremlin-run 24-hour news network. evidence that many in washington will seize upon. actually russia is involved in fermenting what's going on here. >> clear contradiction there. >> nick paton walsh in slavyansk. thank you so much. >>> pope francis is now among the growing legion of supporters using #bringbackourgirls. he tweeted let's all join in prayer for the immediate release of the girls kidnapped in nigeria. >> first lady michelle obama and others have joined this social media campaign. if you can believe it, #bringbackourgirls has

we were stopped on the road to slavyansk by pro-russian militants. these men were visibly jumpy and emotional. they pulled us aside and took us to another location where we were then blindfolded before being driven to a third location. at that location, the men and women were separated. we were questioned. one member of our team was beaten. and what really struck me listening to the conversations that these men were having with each other and that they directed towards us was the level of anti-american rhetoric, and also misinformation. this is a propaganda war. many of these men saying over and over again, "why is president obama sending fascists from kiev to come and kill us?" >> pelley: clarissa ward reporting from an increasingly unstable eastern ukraine. clarissa, thank you. in another major story tonight, the jobs report. the labor department told us 288,000 jobs were created in april, and that's the most in over a year. unemployment fell .4% to 6.3%, the lowest since 2008. anthony mason has the story. >> reporter: in chicago, belly creates onl

slavyansk fears only worse than come.lier showed me how ukraine's army had the town circled. he'll only negotiate if they withdraw and sleeps in his office under guard. he has one message for washington. "to barack obama, i'd like to say following" he said. "please stop supplying fighters with money and weapons, with military forces like blackwater." rhetoric that feeds loathing, fermenting bloodshed and the fear this is not the climax of recent unrest but the start of whole troubles new. wolf, a poll, there's 94% of americans who don't want to see american involvement here have a point. it's extraordinarily messy on the ground. the ukrainian army not particularly experienced in combat yet alone fighting a complex insurgency like this. pro-russian militants very well dug in and this is probably going to spiral increasingly bloodily in the week ahead. i think many potentially in the days coming may be looking to the russians, perhaps, to try and stabilize the situation. it's unlikely kiev can do that and that may be exactl

now quite a lot of people killed in the east, in slavyansk.ng to be >> as you point out, odessa, that's not eastern ukraine, that's more central ukraine. and the fact that there's a deadly confrontation going on there between ukrainian forces, pro-russian demonstrators, that's is extremely worrisome. tell our viewers why. this was mostly being discussed as a problem with eastern ukraine. with the idea they were having trouble keeping control in one part of eastern ukraine. as you said, odessa is really in the center of the country, quite far south. if the government in kiev cannot control odessa, you're talking about a much larger swath of sp control. also there's the possibility of russia creating an entire swath of ukraine, all the way cutting across to a breakaway region ue control of the government in kiev. >> can they have free and fair elections on may 25th as they're now scheduled, given the violence exploding around the country? >> well, this is really the tragedy. it seems to me if there's going to be some kind of reconciliation in ki

news this hour we're getting reports of fighting on the outskirts of the eastern ukrainian city of slavyansk the main stronghold of pro autonomy protesters and it's thought a checkpoint on one of the routes into the city came under fire local self-defense forces have told me that they have taken casualties let's get more now from paula paula what do we know about this renewed fighting there then. well as you say fighting has resumed in the outskirts of slavyansk we're hearing reports that it's happening simultaneously at three different checkpoints but it does seem as if most of the firing is concentrated at one checkpoint in the village of and that if now we're hearing from people on the ground that they have seen and heard heavy artillery there's been automatic gunfire and also mortar shelling this is a checkpoint that has been fired on in the past in fact we've traveled through it many times what we are hearing from eyewitnesses is that there are injuries we have no information at this stage as to the extent of those injuries but it is something we're also hearing from a local self-defens

and his wife have lived in slavyansk all their lives until recently it was a small sleepy provincial. term but find a morning that changed forever. north around four thirty in the morning there was the sound of short crowns and explosions i woke up immediately it was very scary. with this new york all of them together with their mercenaries together with the right sector instructed by our interim president interim prime minister the all are war criminals residents of slovyansk have been ordered to remain indoors flooded near and i now have no intention of stepping out they are glued to their television sit where it's being reported that the right sector is in the city center were the tried to enter the city disguised as students they were renting apartments but eventually the wall of being called there is a panic shops who run out of food amid rumors the army is stopping supplies from getting in the a.t.m.'s are cash strapped and pharmacies are short of medicine as long as. there is no possibility to go somewhere if something happens because the cd is closed i'm afraid that looting wi

who is are keeping all of us up to date with exactly what's happening in slavyansk and you can followher twitter feed for the very latest updates on the reported ongoing military. operation. to be in the now. and this just in on r.t. international this is the latest footage from our video agency ruptly. we can see self-defense forces on city streets getting ready for a street fight if that occurs. or let's talk more about the situation in ukraine with ryan dawson co-author of the book why peace also geo political analyst thanks for coming on today ron we have received fresh footage from roughly video agency of the self-defense forces are very well equipped we can see tanks there as well what do you think of the chances they can fight back successfully well i think it's sad any time any nation has. when the police force were not enough when a nation has to resort to its military to take back its own government buildings there is a problem there because there was no attempt at negotiation is not as if the people are protesting out of the blue with no reason or without without motives of

and, yes, in that town of slavyansk, more trouble. overnight, sustained gunfire was reported. our contacts say some of the worst experience there in a while. the government claims that rebels are manning dozens of checkpoints around that town. ukrainian military is around the town, too, that's what's leading to trouble. just this past week, seven ukrainian soldiers were killed when they were ambushed by militants. it's trying to tamp this down, the aim of yet another round of talks here in the region. they involve national officials and local leaders, complaints about kiev were aired but as none of the militants' leaders were invited, most analysts don't hold out much hope for these. what we found in the city of mariopol, it is calm thanks to local steelworkers out on the streets. a deal has been struck with separatists there and they were nowhere to be found when we were there. the workers' boss is openly opposing breaking away for this region. for one thing, it is not good for business. we'll be looking to see if its approach spreads elsewhere. >> greg, thanks a lot. >>> wan

escaping the violence we hear from children evacuated from the ukrainian city of slavyansk where artillery shelling has hit residential areas as. its military operation in the east. afghan officials are opting for peaceful retirement in the u.s. including the outgoing president's brother the ex intelligence chief known for his reputation of brutality. plus. japan to play a greater defense role in the region promising to support all nations in the territory of disputes and what's seen as a dig at china. from a studio in moscow this is r.t. international with twenty four hours a day police. using tear gas to disperse protests on the first anniversary of huge demonstrations over individual and press freedoms several people are reported to have been injured the turkish prime minister had earlier want people to stay away from attacks and square where violence against the redevelopment of the area broke out last year. in the thick of the events there. i think that was the main thing is i think that the now let me think i was at the top of the can down the right they will think. it's right that i

they say ukrainian soldiers are moving in on the city of slavyansk. the separatists have been occupying government buildings there in a bid for greater regional autonomy. one of them told nhk that many helicopters appeared in the sky and one went down, then caught fire. russian state tv showed video of an injured soldier being taken away from a helicopter that crashed. reuters news agency says its staff saw a military helicopter open fire on the outskirts of the city and heard gunfire. the separatists have been burning tires outside the city to keep military forces from moving in. one of their commanders told russian media that the city is surrounded and residents have been told to stay indoors. reuters quoted an aide to ukraine's interior minister as saying the government won't comment until the operation is over. >>> the separatists have been in control of slavyansk and a number of other eastern cities for more than three weeks now, and day after day they've been expanding their reach. more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: the wall of riot

together with an ongoing punitive operation conducted by the current kiev authorities in slavyansk the tragedy in a desert has become yet another example of kiev using force and intimidation which has nothing to do with the obligation to imposed by the twenty first of february agreement as well as the seventeenth of april geneva agreement. now the west responded with accusations of its own some politicians resorted to ill timed humor and even try to put the blame for the tragic events on the victims washington's denounced the violence as unacceptable but failed to mention the procreative radicals behind it has a details. it's interesting the headlines in tweets that we've seen coming from major u.s. and european news outlets do not mention the those who were torched you know this anti kiev activists and that it was done by a group of radicals then you have the swedish foreign minister called bill actually suggesting that it's the quote on ford pro russians fault that they were burned to death he writes horrible was at least thirty eight dead you know this seems to have started with pro

so we had to the east of slavyansk a scene of fierce conflict and clashes the korean military made their way towards the positions held by the pro dinette forces i went out into the trenches to speak to them and with his life here in the trenches it's fine apart from the most you know those that died in the trenches we have from the ages of nineteen right up to pensioners there so we've all wide variety a wide cross-section of ages and what unites them is a fight of these men are local they are from slavyansk and they've taken up arms and taken up positions and you know they don't want to go peacefully even though we asked them please leave what they were but here are the our guys. i spoke to several other members there of the self-defense and one of them was speaking about how he'd had a girlfriend before he made the decision to join the self-defense. i broke up with my girlfriend as all this began she said she would leave me if i went to the barricades i chose to protect my city i chose freedom. now also went to the position southwest of the city now what happened there is the korean m

the buses or the trains this is a weekend operation that took place it started on friday here in slavyansk it's affected kramatorsk it is falling here is announcement that it will crack down militarily against these and of protesters many of whom have taken up administration buildings in this part of the country in the city of new gun square now receiving reports of unrest photos to say that they are in control of the local military enlistment offices and that they're handing out weapons but in a very controlled and organized manner they said that they doing this to keep order in the city overnight there was also an waste in the town of mario pole we were talking to people on the ground who said that the military had entered the town the empty key of protesters were inside the administration building and they were telling us that they were being given orders to evacuate the building or else the military was threatening that it would fire on them despite this there is media outlets who are reporting that there is no military operation in the city and that all of this on race has instead mer

we won't get them into slavyansk. and people are prepared to die to make sure of it as the army advances into cities and towns in southeastern ukraine we're down the street is that this is just a rehearsal the real showdown is coming yes i think the goal is first kramatorsk then slovyansk and then they'll continue under is recovering from two bullet wounds in his legs he was one of the first to be hit during saturday's comma tosca battle the twenty eight year old father of four held his position against the armored vehicles as they rolled forward. it's complete chaos there's a murderous little being paid by the oligarchs and they come here to kill people for money more and more checkpoints have been set up as thousands sign up to defend the city's. biggest problem we have is weapons and ammunition the only weapons we have are molotov cocktails a k forty seven s and pistols that the police gave us that is all we have they are armed with american weapons explosive bullets meanwhile the call is gone out for people to don

the people's mare is calling on the people of slavyansk to come forward and defend this town and that is a call that is being taken very seriously particularly as we hear from kiev that it is going to continue with its military offensive i managed to catch up with a family who are locked behind closed doors too afraid to step out. you had those but came here to kill us. and his wife have lived in slavyansk all the lives until recently it was a small sleepy provincial town but friday morning that changed forever but as north around four thirty in the morning there was the sound of short crowns and explosions i woke up immediately it was very scary. mr snow your all of them together with them mercenaries together with the right sector instructed by oh interim president interim prime minister they all are war criminals residents of slovyansk have been ordered to remain indoors fled emir and i now have no intention of stepping out there. today television set where it's being reported that the right sector is in the city center during the bubble of the tried to enter the city disguised the

we're now entering the town of slavyansk which is completely encircled by the ukrainian military this is a ukrainian army checkpoint and as you can see the cars are backed up all the way down the road there it will take me better part of at least one hour to get in because of this because the town is so in so called to have a growing humanitarian crisis supplies simply cannot get in cap-haitien in the town are running out just many of them simply. do not have any guests that we've given our five who come and fill up the car here. that are in your natural supplies will run out soon there will be nothing to run our cars on and we won't be able to get. the local hospital is treating people who've been injured not only here in slovyansk but also in neighboring towns there's real concern that it's being pushed to crisis point and because of this ordinary people have been arriving with packets of food and blankets toiletries as well as medical supplies to try and stop this from happening the gates has been closed here for the better part of two days this is the local grid factory where peop

from neighboring kramatorsk which is around seventeen kilometers away we traveled in and out of slavyansk the city is still encircled by the ukrainian army and it takes about two hours to get through some of those checkpoints so the mood on the ground is still very very tense now following the suggestions by the russian president vladimir putin we are hearing from people both here as well as internets and your guns that they are considering whether or not they should postpone the referendum that is currently planned for the sunday they might be a vote to soon as today on whether or not that referendum is x. is postponed another factor we're also monitoring is whether or not they could be any cause for concern of violence breaking out tomorrow during may the ninth celebrations we have been hearing some disturbing reports that right sick to members might use this as an opportunity to evoke clashes so that is something that people here are considering and thinking about taking very seriously. paula slim she's been posting all the very latest developments online you can follow paula on twitte

artillery fire from the army a civilian checkpoint was reportedly bombarded outside the city of slavyansk the main stronghold of prove or ptolemy protesters local self-defense fighters told us that they have taken casualties there is in the region. it seems as if up to eight people have been injured what we're hearing from local self-defense units on the ground is that the ukrainian army used mortars there were unexploded mortar shells that were found at the scene of the fighting we understand that there were three simultaneous battles that took place at three different checkpoints on the outskirts of slavyansk but the focal point was a checkpoint in the village of and what we're hearing from eyewitnesses is that heavy artillery was used automatic gunfire and as i say mortars we know that now that there are injuries this person explain further yes there's gunfire on the outskirts of the city apparently having weapons without casualties on our side says a checkpoint that has come under fire in the past in fact we've traveled through it many times it is a checkpoint that is heavily fortifie

the fear many have inside slavyansk is of a broader assault.mind if that did happen, that could radically change the kremlin's calculations or what it needs to say publicly. vladimir putin looked like the peacemaker to calm things town. if we see things get out of hand on the ground which could happen, the ukrainian army moves every two days. people concerned we might see loss of life there, wolf. >> let's hope not. that would be awful, indeed. nick paton walsh. we'll check back with you tomorrow. thank you. >>> still ahead in "the situation room." we have the entire essay in "vanity fair" released including brand new photos. we're going to show you the pictures. she's opening up rather dramatically about her dashed hopes for her future with bill clinton and lashing out at his biggest defenders during the height of the sex scandal. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the s

in the city of slavyansk, the ukrainian military twinning the beginning their operations there aroundficers killed when the pro-russian militants managed to shoot down two helicopters. according to the self-proclaimed mayor of slavyansk, five pro-russian militants were killed in clashes plus two civilians. conflicting death tolls throughout all this. the you krukrainian forces at t stage seeming only to want to move to the outskirts of the city, itself, then hold those positions. as that was happening just a short while ago, coming under attack by the pro-russian militants. according to officials, at least two more ukrainian soldiers were killed just in the last few hours. and then, of course, you have the violence that began raging in the southern city of odessa that had been relatively quiet up until now. earlier in the day, clashes breaking out between the pro-russian camp and the pro-ukrainian camp and then a building catching on fire. now, during the clashes, at least three people were killed but that building fire, wolf, absolutely devastating. over 30 people dead. the vast majo

minute by minute is intensifying on the ground here in eastern ukraine particularly in the town of slavyansk and this has been the situation ever since the ukrainian president petro poroshenko was elected he does seem to be making true on his words that he is going to deal with the situation severely. thank you for that. well in today's edition of cross talk people joined by journalist graham phillips he was recently held then released by the army in eastern ukraine. the civil war to tell you should i have to see innocent civilians lying in pools of blood you should have to see houses and apartments completely just bomb destroyed room you shouldn't have to face these things you should have to face the turn was blockaded by you create your me you should have to face no shortages of food a humanitarian crisis and i speak to people. every day i know a lot of people have fled the city of left to see someone who yawn because they get no where else to go and they say we're all scum we got i know these people these are just decent good people they didn't support your my dad they didn't support the

there's been a fresh spike of violence in the eastern ukrainian city of slavyansk where we're saving reports of army helicopters opening fire on the city earlier local self-defense forces two people were killed and four injured were sinners among them as ukrainian forces attacked overnight. a city of around one hundred thousand people is one of the main targets of caves a military operation the return of its residential areas have come under fire several times this week the shells hitting houses and even a school and kindergarten many locals are leaving the city or at least seeking to send their children to safety hundreds were evacuated to where i live and we will because that in some accounts call us all a sleaze following the situation there. in the last two days more and more civilians have found themselves in the line of fire there was a children's hospital that was shelled a number of residential buildings have been attacked at the same time there was a school and a kindergarten that came under fire locals tell us on friday there was a lull in fighting presumably this was to co

clearly now things around slavyansk turning to all o out conflict.e saw a map before the clashes started about how they are encircled with groups of military around their town and there's no chance of negotiation and one message he said to us is he wanted to ask barack obama to stop sending military assistance. the white house is not doing that but it's part of the misinformation war going on here making it harder for this situation to be calmed. >> and misinformation as you talk about and then we see this escalating. we see the situation growing. the violence is spreading. struggles continue. we're not hearing any breakthroughs in negotiations at all. where is this all headed? >> two important dates ahead. first, the 11th of may is when pro-russian militants say they'll have a referendum on the sovereignty and that's whether or not they join russia or stay in ukraine and then may 25th presidential elections for all of ukraine. this unrest is bound to continue through all of that. russia says potentially they will move in if they see lives at risk he

their arrival to donetsk was delayed by reported gunfire on the road from slavyansk to donetsk. at a check point but did eventually manage to make their way to donetsk. we didn't learn much about the detention except that they seem to have been held until fairly reasonable conditions. but we are probably going to learn more about what the detainment was about and what comes next a bit later on. >> nbc's albina kovalyova from ukraine. thank you. >>> here's a quick look at some of the other top stories making news. the desperate search for survivors is underway in afghanistan. a massive mudslide buried an entire village there. the united nations says at least 350 people are dead so far. >>> the associated press reports that the number of nigerian girls missing after islamic extremists attacked their school has risen to 276 girls, 30 more than previously believed. >>> in washington this morning, on the steps of the lincoln memorial, about 150 people rallied in support of the girls. they say they want the united states to pressure nigeria to take more aggressive action to rescue the

in donetsk and slavyansk, fighting between the army and the rebels has escalated over the past few daysle in donetsk on monday. although the rest of the country went to the polls on sunday, separatists in donetsk largely prevented voting. ukraine's newly elected president has vowed to fight the separatists. but earlier today, a leader of the donetsk's peoples republic wrote, we are not going to leave and we are not going to surrender. this is our land and our home. we are getting stronger and stronger. >>> just ahead, it's been almost a year since the supreme court's landmark decision on prop 8. now a new documentary is telling the story of the plaintiffs who fought the legal battle for marriage equality. two of them join me coming up next. 's beautiful. it's more than that... ...it's perfect. introducing curved ultra high definition television from samsung. marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty s

if they tend to press that battle to conclusion, from what we know of the defenses in slavyansk, it could be very bloody, indeed. all the while the world is reacting in horror to the death toll yesterday in the southern port city of odessa, 500 miles west of here. crowds of pro and anti-ukrainians fought running battles in the street ending up with a major building burning down killing possibly 30 people, maybe more. most of them pro russians. of course, that raises the specter of how moscow and president putin is going to react. he has claimed repeatedly the right to intervene and defense of ethnic russians here in the ukraine. he has the tanks to do it, the question is whether he will see this as an opportunity. >> james mates, thank you for the opportunity. joining us from the white house, kristen welker. amongst the back drop of the violence we're seeing and a real spark as has been reported, president obama, german chancellor angela merkel, they met yesterday. they were watching that very carefully. what came of that meeting? >> reporter: well, there were some significant development

. >> troops from kiev we see and can trace what is happening in slavyansk, kramatorsk, mariupol and odessa. we perfectly see it. and we don't see putin. >> warner: just up the street, outside the regional government building now occupied by pro- russian separatists, we met young yevgeniy. the former ukrainian soldier wouldn't give us his last name or let his face be fully shown. but he told us he joined the barricades because he believes donestk would have a brighter economic future if joined with russia. >> we are waiting for the russians to help us. >> warner: if reports are right, if russia pulled forces back from the border, will that weaken your position? >> ( translated ): no. we are so pressured by economic instability that we are determined to change our situation. >> warner: and despite lunchtime scenes of seeming urban tranquility, tensions remain raw here. just 100 yards from the front of the occupied government building, heavily-armed masked men in unmarked uniforms stopped two vehicles and hauled out several young men in desert fatigues, searched them and took them away. it wa

as the separatists fight gets harder and they are digging in around slavyansk, the separatists seem to be fa fracturing. their main leader isn't spoken well of here. "from the start i knew who he was" he says "a temporary fig wr year, no political significance. i met him once and said hello and good-bye." falling out amongst themselves under siege, the russia they wanted to join distancing itself but the government they oppose unable to assert control, isolated but still here. now, across ukraine, they'll vote on sunday but many will not vote here. that probably is enough to make moscow able to say these elections haven't been the legitimate chance for everyone in ukraine to express their opini opinion. whether or not, though, the disruption we're seeing by pro-russian militants is enough for washington to say that's reason to bring in sectoral sanctions, wider sanctions against parts of the russian economy. we have to wait and see, wolf. >> critical hours coming up this weekend. thank you. >>> just ahead, the massive fire is ruining the memorial day weekend in one of the most beautifu

another military helicopter was shot down over the eastern ukrainian city of slavyansk today. these pictures unverified by nbc news appear to show it being targeted. it is the third such attack in just a week. while four ukrainian soldiers were killed as the government here tries to wrestle control back from pro-russian militia. meanwhile, a mob of 2,000 stormed a military prosecutor's office smashing doors and throwing files on the floor as divisions deepen and spread. funerals have been held south of here in odessa where 40 people were killed in that union fire -- that union building fire before the weekend. while here in donetsk down the street at the city hall, it is barricaded. there are men in military uniforms carrying weapons vowing to fight if the ukrainian military come here as ukraine tears itself to pieces. brian? >> keir simmons reporting live for us tonight from donetsk, ukraine. keir, thanks. >>> back in this country, we have an update on the terrifying fall at the circus in rhode island that injured nine performers. some of them critically. investigators say th

a gun fight in the city of slavyansk left four people dead and about 30 injured. rebels shot down a military helicopter. it's a month since pro-russian activists seized government offices in the city of donetsk. they're building up their arsenals to prepare for more clashes with government forces. separatists say they will hold referendums on autonomy in two of ukraine's eastern regions on may 11th. the interim government is expected to deploy the military to prevent the poll taking place. the u.s. government has unveiled additional measures to support syria's opposition forces. they're struggling to hold on after losing battles against the government of president bashar al assad. state department spokesperson marie harf said on monday that the u.s. will grant foreign mission status to representative offices of the syrian national coalition in washington and new york. the u.s. also plans to provide $27 million in new nonlethal assistance, including food aid. the additional measures include providing the free syrian army with transport trucks and medicines worth ab

fighting reached its fiercest escalation yet as we had on fire and glass going off right around slavyansk all my is what seemed to be a sustained coordinated action on the territories around on the border check posts around the city of slavyansk by ukrainian military one of ukraine's a rich us industrialists eager to call a musky has been linked to the recent violence in a desa in a series of ridge phone calls posted on you tube a conversation allegedly between two ukrainian businessman immediately went viral let's take a listen normally bit of markel to the new government or new york or go over to boot reduces as you can see we were a little union army of christians of marshall just for very little progress on this record store were to say look at the greed that money. promoted the offical summary order to. many of the roots of competitors. when you support the reversal control of the church of laurie is a good move for a book when you can bring usable mystery stories. musky is involved with scores of major businesses and controls ukraine's biggest information agency plus one of the coun

the crowds there which started overnight and there are reports of mortar shelling near the city of slavyansk another hotbed of anti-government unrest currently besieged by troops over a hundred thousand people live there now local self-defense units report the army has opened fire at a checkpoint while residents say they are unable to leave the city graham phillips is there for our team but that bank has stopped operations here so they're cash machines on dispensing money people are having trouble accessing money they're having trouble getting to shops now they're closed there's reports of understanding queues for hoffa no more than that to obtain such basic products as bread so in the background this is rumble of ukraine you know me who surrounded the city now we're going to cuff you know that reportedly settle for a shoot as early as eight o'clock now so you can go to nowhere open and on the outskirts of the sea. if you leave or aim to then there's a real risk we've been told here of your car being fined a point to advise in the strongest terms after dark to obtain no entry to the say not

they reiterated they were staying and they were intensifying their action to retake the city of slavyansk which has now been in the hands of these projects activists for over a month now since april the twelve so what we've seen in the last couple of nights it's going to intensify not in the city for over a month last night was the most robust action yet seemingly of the ukrainian military to retake this city we had blasts we had done fire we explosions going off all minor what we also have today is more conflict on the numbers the ukrainian government the kiev government say that there are fatalities on the side of the pro dinette the proto netsky saying that the fatalities on the side of the ukrainian military so we have this conflict about numbers but it does seem clear last night there were further fatalities in the first casualties here and civilians because fighting reached its fiercest escalation yet as we had gone fire and blasts going off right around slovyansk all my is what seemed to be a sustained coordinated action on the territories around on the border check posts around th

has been trying to evict armed pro-russian separatists from public buildings their occupying in slavyansk and several other eastern cities. many civilians on both sides of the conflict have been killed or wounded since fighting intensified last week. ukraine's acting president oleksandr turchinov said on thursday his government is ready to meet with representatives of local governments, and activists. now, he said he won't talk to armed people with blood on their hands. >>> russia's foreign minister is seeking the help of western countries to resolve the crisis in ukraine. sergey lavrov spoke over the phone with his counterparts in germany, france and the u.s. lavrov expressed concern over the continued military operations for ukraine's interim government. in talks with u.s. secretary of state john kerry, lavrov called on western leaders to use their influence to get the interim government to hold dialogue with pro-russian groups. meanwhile, russia's energy minister says starting next month, ukraine will have to pay for its natural gas deliveries in advanced. alexander novak sayses ukrain

sustained coordinated action on the territories around on the border check posts around the city of slavyansk by ukrainian military journalist working for russian t.v. channel wife needs to be have been detained by ukrainian security near the eastern city of kramatorsk they channels they can't call and the last thing they were sealed off a text message saying things were looking ugly for them in street ukraine is far from a safe right now for the media a crew working for also his news agency ironically warned warning shots fired at them on thursday probably two armored vehicles near kramatorsk and another asking journalist was seriously wounded near slavyansk last week is very fluent in moscow where he's now receiving treatment. a top u.s. military commander has warns that western backed rebels would be unable to govern syria if president assad was removed from power this comes after a meeting of the so-called friends of sea where group in london this week led to the u.s. and its allies discussing more support for the syrian opposition assad's army is still making ground against the rebels hi