Troops surround pro-Russian stronghold
Ukrainian soldiers are ringing the stronghold of Sloviansk but have yet to move on the centre
Ukrainian troops have surrounded the pro-Russian stronghold of Sloviansk in the east, with residents saying they fear they will be stormed.
At present the troops appear to be concentrating on retaking government buildings from separatists in smaller towns around Sloviansk.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in the regional capital Donetsk says that while it appears Ukrainian forces have sealed off the roads in and out of Sloviansk, they are moving around the city and concentrating on smaller towns nearby.
Our correspondent spoke to a resident of Sloviansk who said people there were expecting the town to be stormed.
Several people were reported killed in clashes around Sloviansk yesterday. The defence ministry said one checkpoint was removed overnight.
Gunfire was also reported overnight in Kostyantynivka and Mariupol as Ukrainian forces tried to reclaim government offices.
Saturday also saw fighting around Kramatorsk, where Ukrainian forces retook the police building, TV tower and SBU security service offices. At least two people were killed in the town.
Our correspondent says passions are running very high following the deaths in Odessa, with pro-Russian activists in Luhansk and Donetsk attacking government buildings.
Pro-Russian gunmen in Mariupol set fire to barricades and videos showed a branch of PrivatBank, a bank owned the pro-Kiev governor of Dnipropetrovsk, being burned down.
Ukrainian soldiers are ringing the stronghold of Sloviansk but have yet to move on the centre
Pro-Russian gunmen have built barricades in the east in preparation for a government offensive
Russia has urged the US to put pressure on Kiev to stop its military operation, which he said risked "plunging the country into a fratricidal conflict".
Washington, in turn, says Moscow should stop backing the pro-Russian separatists - or risk incurring further sanctions from the West.
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