Ukrainian President: Recapturing Slavyansk is a "turning point"

According to Poroshenko, it is still too early to celebrate, but regaining Slavyansk is extremely important.

On July 5, in a statement, Ukrainian President Poroshenko called the government forces' recapture of the city of Slavyansk "a turning point" in the country's fight against pro-federalization forces.

Ukrainian soldiers near a checkpoint in Slavyansk (Photo: Getty)

Speaking on national television, Poroshenko said: "Today, the armed forces and the National Guard of Ukraine liberated Slavyansk from the terrorists. The flag of the country is once again flying over the city's buildings."

Poroshenko added: “This is not yet a complete victory and we cannot yet celebrate with fireworks. But the recapture of Slavyansk is of great significance. It is a turning point in the fight against armed militants to regain the territorial integrity of the country.”

Earlier, on the afternoon of July 5th, the Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported that Ukrainian government forces were tightening the noose around Slavyansk to cut off the city's connections with other regions.

However, the Slavyansk militia broke through the heavy siege of the city by government forces and escaped to Kramatorsk.

According to VOV