Twelve Ukrainian troops were killed when separatists shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter, only one person survived the crash. Among those killed was General Serhiy Kulchytskiy of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. Kulchytskiy is a former member of the Russian military and in charge of training for the Ukrainian National Guard.

The helicopter was taken down with a shoulder-launched rocket-propelled grenade launcher near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk. That city is currently held by Pro-Russian separatists. The helicopter was performing a troop transfer and was flying from Kramatorsk to a hill outside the city where government troops have set up positions.

The city, some one hundred miles west of the Russian border has been the location of increased fighting in recent weeks between government troops and the eastern Ukrainian separatist militants.

The rebel leader in Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, who has taken on the title of mayor of the city, confirmed that his fighters took down the helicopter and in a phone interview to the LA Times said, “I have warned many times publicly that they should not be flying over our land. I hope this will be another important lesson for Kiev.”

In another interview, this one with a Russian news service, Ponomaryov also confirmed that rebel fighers had take another four Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors hostage. He told the Russian news agency that the monitors were taken four days ago after ignoring orders to quit traveling around the region. The “mayor” said that the monitors from Turkey, Switzerland, Estonia, and Denmark will be released in the near future. OSCE confirmed that contact with the monitors was lost on Monday evening.

Separatists in the city, are not only fighting government troops at this time, reports say that in-fighting has broken out in the city as factions take up arms against each other.

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