Ukraine's president-elect vows vengeance over helicopter attack

Ukraine's President-elect Petro Poroshenko has vowed to punish the 'bandits' who shot down a military helicopter as the government's efforts to rein in pro-Russia separatists continue. 'The deaths of the military troops in Slovyansk are pain our whole nation is feeling,' Poroshenko posted on his Facebook page.'While mourning with rest of the Ukraine, I give my condolences to the families and loved ones of the fallen heroes. Crimes of the bandits will not be left unpunished. 'Militants in the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk, in the Donetsk region, claimed responsibility for downing the helicopter, a spokesman for the separatists said. A dozen servicemen died, authorities said, including a general. The separatist unrest that has gripped Ukraine in recent weeks has been centered in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.Acting Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Koval said the military would continue its 'anti-terrorism' operation until the east has been fully stabilised, Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. 'We will work until this region starts living and functioning normally, and the people there feel safe,' Koval is quoted as saying.International monitors sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, at the invitation of Ukraine, has been surveying the situation on the ground ' but they appear increasingly at risk of being targeted by armed groups. Four are said to be in the hands of pro-Russian separatists in Slovyansk, having gone missing.
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