40+ people dead in Odessa (mostly pro-Russian activists, and at least some of them burned alive), helicopters shot down over Slavyansk, casualties during the storm of Kramatorsk. Links below the curlicue. Trigger warnings apply, some of the photo galleries are pretty graphic.
I sort of saw it coming, but to the last moment hoped it wouldn't happen.
korrespondent.net on clashes in Odessa (warning, extremely graphic pictures)
http://korrespondent.net/...
Pro-Russian demonstrators were surrounded, barricaded themselves into a building, their pursuers set it on fire. Official casualty count from the fire: 31 dead.
http://mvs.gov.ua/...
More photos and footage (Odessa and other cities) here - fires, helicopters shot down, dead bodies in the streets:
http://grani.ru/...
This is bad.
Let me note that the language in some of the sources below is understandably intemperate, and the comment threads following some articles show absolutely the worst sides of humanity. The images, however, mostly speak for themselves.
2:52 PM PT: slon:ru: total casualty count in Odessa 41, at least 123 wounded, 17 of those badly. Again, graphic image warning.
http://slon.ru/...
2:55 PM PT: Somewhat belated but otherwise decent report by BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/...
3:00 PM PT: Also, BBC footage from Slavyansk, but this is literally yesterday's news.
http://www.bbc.com/...
My friend in Luhansk is saying that everything is quiet so far (the administrative center of is pretty much controlled by the anti-Kiev militia).
3:02 PM PT: Reports of massive casualties (tens of dead) during the storm of Kramatorsk. I cannot find corroborating reports out of Ukraine, Russian news only.
http://www.novayagazeta-ug.ru/...
3:06 PM PT: All Aeroflot flights to Kharkiv and Donetsk have been canceled.
http://slon.ru/...
3:11 PM PT: Wounded count in Odessa is up to 174, with 77 badly wounded.
http://dumskaya.net/...
3:15 PM PT: Some hope that the storm of Slavyansk will be resolved by negotiations.
http://rus.newsru.ua/...
3:20 PM PT: Some more corroboration that in Slavyansk sides are negotiating...
http://www.unian.ua/...
3:28 PM PT: Now, this can have serious implications. Among the people who died in the fire in Odessa were 15 Russian citizens and 5 citizens of the breakaway region of Transnistria.
This turned out to be a lie.
3:37 PM PT: Facebook acquaintance from Odessa just posted a first-hand account on his page. Ugly stuff, but with moments of heroism - the narrator (himself a part of a Pro-Ukrainian march) protected several captured pro-Russian activists from being beaten to death. The likely casualty count according to this narrative is 50+, with 1000+ wounded.
https://www.facebook.com/...
4:11 PM PT: The flashpoint of the fight in Odessa may have been confrontation between the activists of Euromaidan and football ultras on one side and the activists of Antimaidan on the other side.
http://mvs.gov.ua/...
4:32 PM PT: Comment on a blog of a person I would regard as trustworthy (not made by the blog host). Translation mine.
Thisi is how it happened. Supporters of RF scuffled with the Ukrainian ultras, the cops, as they could, defended the Coloreds ["Колорады" - RF supporters]. Coloreds then started shooting fans whose only weapons were sticks and stones. Very stupid decision. The angry bloodthirsty crowd just swept away the cops, and the Coloreds, they fled into the trade union building, and there were burned alive.
http://avmalgin.livejournal.com/...
4:41 PM PT: I don't know if this is related, and this is not well corroborated, but some sources report that the director of Russia's TV Channel One ("Первый канал") Konstantin Ernst had a conversation with President Putin, after which Mr. Ernst tried to shoot himself, and is now hospitalized.
http://tv.ua/...
This was also a fake.
5:30 PM PT: Another photo gallery, aptly titled "A dark day in Odessa." With this, I conclude the updates.
http://korrespondent.net/...