Ukrainian officials have
banned Russian airlines from flying in the eastern parts of the country
which have been controlled by pro-Russian forces in the past few months.
"Flights
are banned for Russian companies to [the eastern Ukrainian cities of]
Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk for safety reasons," Denis Antoniuk, the head
of the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine, said on Saturday.
Antoniuk added that Ukrainian airline Dniproavia has also been affected by the open-ended ban.
Ukraine’s
mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly
clashes between pro-Moscow activists and the Ukrainian army since Kiev
launched military operations to silence pro-Russia protests in
mid-April.
Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint
regions of Donetsk and Luhansk held local referendums in which their
residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and
joining the Russian Federation.
Ukrainian authorities and the
West have accused Moscow of having a hand in the crisis and supporting
pro-Moscow protesters in eastern Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly rejected
the allegation.
According to the latest figures by the United
Nations, more than 4,000 people have been killed and over 9,300 others
injured in the fighting. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people
have been forced to flee their homes.
- Source: http://www.presstv.ir
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