Authorities in Ukraine said government forces had reclaimed a television tower from pro-Russians Sunday, but wider efforts to regain control of the east of the country looked to have stalled.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in a statement on his Facebook page that a new assault to reclaim control of Kramatorsk began at dawn.
The city saw a standoff Saturday that culminated in insurgents setting buses alight to ward off attacks. Russian state television has reported 10 deaths, including two among government forces, during clashes in Kramatorsk so far. Those figures could not be independently confirmed.
Elsewhere, eastern Ukraine appeared quieter on Sunday than in recent days – as preparations began for the funeral of those who died in a horrific fire during riots in the port city of Odessa on Friday.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has blamed Kiev and the West for the Odessa bloodshed, in which 42 were killed and 125 injured.
Officials in Ukraine on Saturday said the eastern unrest had become “a war.”
The Associated Press and James Mates of NBC News’ partner ITV News contributed to this report.
