Battle for Slovyansk
Previous "anti-terror operations" by the Ukrainian government have been unsuccessful. On Friday (02.05.2014), Kyiv advanced on Slovyansk in a fresh attempt to gain control of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
The army advances
In Friday's early hours, the first reports started to emerge of the Ukrainian army's offensive in the eastern region around Slovyansk. It took several hours for photographic evidence to be published. In this photo, a woman clutches a Russian Orthodox icon as she watches the tanks advance past a checkpoint near Slovyansk.
Helicopters deployed
A Ukrainian army helicopter lands on the outskirts of Slovyansk. Two such helicopters were reported to have been shot down by pro-Russian separatists during the Ukrainian military offensive.
In the hands of the separatists
These international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were in the hands of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. They were released on Saturday (03.05.2014) after a week-long ordeal. The OSCE group included four Germans. This picture shows some who were presented to the press in Slovyansk on Sunday (27.04.2014).
No sign of giving up
The pro-Russian separatists in Slovyansk appear to have no intention of abandoning their positions. This photo, circulated by the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, was taken on Friday morning at a checkpoint near a factory.
Intensive diplomacy
In these difficult times, many people were placing their hopes in the negotiating powers of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. On Friday morning, Steinmeier met in Bern with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, who is also the current head of the OSCE, to discuss the hostage situation.
Self-appointed mayor
The OSCE observers that were held by pro-Russian separatists were brought "to a safe place outside the combat zone," according to separatist leader and self-appointed mayor of Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov. He was the contact point over the past week for negotiations on the fate of the western military experts, commenting regularly on their whereabouts.
Where do ordinary civilians stand?
A resident greets Ukrainian soldiers at a checkpoint near Slovyansk, shaking their hands. It is still unclear whether the operation by the Ukrainian troops will be successful, or whether it too will fail, like an earlier "anti-terrorist" campaign carried out by the central government in Kyiv.
What will Putin do?
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that, with this military operation around Slovyansk, the Ukrainian government is "destroying the last hope" of implementing the recent Geneva agreement to deescalate the conflict. The Kremlin leader's reaction will be decisive in determining what happens next in Ukraine.