16 UKRAINE SOLDIERS KILLED IN DEADLY DONETSK REGION CHECKPOINT ATTACK - 22 MAY - 16 Ukrainian troops were killed and over 30 injured in an attack on a military checkpoint in Donetsk Region. The deadliest assault on the army since Kiev launched its military operation in the south-east of the country comes a few days ahead of election. The checkpoint on the edge of Blagodatnoe village, near the town of Volnovakha, was assaulted on Thursday night. Eyewitnesses told Russian Chanel One that the attackers arrived in transit vans, with armored vehicles and combat helicopters providing cover for them. The gunmen set fire to the military's armored vehicles and began shooting at the rookie soldiers, who had their encampment near the checkpoint. One of the shells hit an ammunition depot, which resulted in a massive explosion that saw dozens injured, Channel One reports. The video, which allegedly captures the events in Blagodatnoe, emerged on the internet on Thursday. Two combat helicopters heavily, shelling an area covered by trees, and a huge explosion are seen in the footage. The Donetsk Regional Administration said that 16 soldiers died and 32 received injuries in the attack on the checkpoint. The self-defense forces of the People Republic of Donetsk said that the attack on the army's checkpoint was a reprisal raid by the radicals. "The Blagodatnoe residents came out to defend their homes. The soldiers were ordered to crush the resistance. But they refused to shoot at people, and were, eventually, punished for that," the source in the self-defense forces told LifeNews. The witnesses told the channel that the transit vans, which the attackers used for transportation, belonged to the Privat-Bank, which is owned by oligarch Igor Kolomoisky. READ MORE + VIDEO: http://rt.com/news/160804-military-checkpoint-attack-ukraine/ REF: Volnovakha. Helicopter 'Friendly' Fire. 22.05.2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VH-NNLXMhA Volnovakha. UKR Block-Post Destroyed. 22.05.2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMfvDVAxDIM Volnovakha. Mi-24 in Action. 22.05.2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_ByzS8ufpY

• published: 22 May 2014
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