Ray of light in the east, tragedy in the south

More than a week ago, military observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had been taken hostage by pro-Russian separatists. Last Sunday (27.04.2014), they were presented to the press in the city of Slovyansk (above). They were finally released Saturday (03.05.2014).

Separatist leader and self-proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, was behind the kidnapping of the OSCE observers.

Axel Schneider (r.), head of the OSCE team held captive for eight days, said after being released that the group was "right in the middle of the fire" the night beforehand. Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin played a key role in their release. He said an exchange of prisoners, which the militias had initially requested, did not take place.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, clashes on Friday night included a trade union building catching fire after protesters reportedly threw firebombs inside. Local police said more than 30 people were killed in the blaze - anti-government protesters had taken shelter in the building. Some died trying to jump from the upper floors, while others suffocated from smoke inhalation.

Before the fire broke out in Odessa, clashes between pro-Russian separatists and supporters of the Ukrainian interim government left four people dead. After weeks of unrest in eastern Ukraine, this was the first outbreak of violence in the south of the country.

Ukrainian troops have been conducting raids against pro-Russian separatists in the eastern cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Russian news agency Ria Nowosti reported that there have been deaths and injuries there, as well. The army stepped up its offensive against the separatists on Saturday.

Early Friday morning, reports started emerging that Ukrainian troops were advancing on separatist positions in and around Slovyansk. The first photographs surfaced several hours later. Here, a woman holding a picture of an Orthodox saint watches as the army advances with tanks.

Here, a Ukrainian military helicopter lands on the outskirts of Slovyansk. Two such helicopters were allegedly shot down by separatists, according to several reports.

One resident welcomed the Ukrainian forces with a handshake at a roadblock near Slovyansk. It is not yet clear whether the army units are gaining the upper hand, or whether the mission to regain control of the east will fail, as did an earlier "anti-terrorist" campaign on the part of the Ukrainian government.