KIEV, Ukraine—Ukrainian officials said they were moving ahead with an operation against pro-Russian separatists in the country's east on Friday, seeking to isolate Slovyansk, the city at the heart of the insurgency, rather than confront militants head-on and risk civilian casualties.
There were few other immediate signs that what Kiev calls an antiterrorist operation had revved up, though a military helicopter exploded after being hit by a sniper shot while it was warming up.
President Vladimir Putin condemned the use of military force against civilians in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said, as his foreign minister reiterated warnings to Ukrainian leaders.
"They (Kiev) are waging a war on their own people. This is a bloody crime and those who pushed the army to do that will pay, I am sure, and will face justice," Sergei Lavrov told a group of young diplomats in Moscow.
Ukrainian forces moved in on the pro-Russian stronghold of Slovyansk on Thursday, killing several militants, but quickly halted their advance after Russia activated thousands of troops massed just across the border.The harsh signals from Russia have forced Kiev to balance its efforts to oust militants who have taken over buildings across eastern Ukraine with the risk of civilian bloodshed and fears of a Russia mobilization. Ukrainian officials said Friday there was no sign any Russian forces had crossed the border, the Interfax news agency reported.
Around midday, a top official in Kiev said the government had decided to start "the second phase" of the operation as Slovyansk remained in pro-Russian control.
"We've decided to completely blockade the city of Slovyansk to prevent reinforcements from coming in," said Sergei Pashinsky, chief of staff to acting president Oleksandr Turchynov. "The goal is to blockade the terrorists and prevent any civilian casualties."
Mr. Pashinsky didn't provide details of the operation, but said that any movement of Russian troops across the border would be considered an invasion and trigger an immediate military response. Kiev has deployed its modest forces along the border, but they aren't expected to be able to resist the much larger Russian army.Vasily Krutov, deputy chief of Ukraine's Security Service, told reporters in Kiev that the military didn't plan to attack separatists, but rather to keep reinforcements from joining them and more weapons from flowing into the area.
"We won't risk victims from storming the city. We understand that could cause a lot of casualties," he said.
He said the Ukrainian military helicopters was hit by sniper fire as it was warming up at the airport in the city of Kramatorsk, sparking explosions. The pilot was injured, he said.
Ukrainian police also reported that seven people—including a police officer--were injured outside the coastal city of Odessa when an unknown group of people traveling in a car threw a grenade at a checkpoint manned by pro-Kiev activists. The victims suffered shrapnel wounds but were expected to live, police said.
In Moscow, Mr. Lavrov reiterated calls for Kiev to stop its operations. He called for the "immediate cessation of the use of the army against their own people."
Russia and the West have traded blame for the failure of a peace deal reached last week in Geneva between Russia, the U.S., the EU and Ukraine.
Russia argues Kiev should have moved first to disarm nationalist and pro-Ukraine protesters in the capital and force them to vacate government buildings, while the West and Ukraine have blasted Moscow for failing to put pressure on the pro-Russian groups.
President Barack Obama said he would consult Friday with key European leaders about the crisis as he continued to warn that he was prepared to proceed with more significant sanctions against Russia.
A spokesman for Merkel said that the German leader, Mr. Obama and other European officials would hold a conference call to discuss new sanctions.
Mr. Lavrov hit out at the U.S., who he said was unfairly accusing Russia of breaking the deal.
"Russia will firmly contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict based on the compromise approach agreed in Geneva…there can be no one-sided demands. And we are being presented with them—first of all I mean by the United States of America who have an outstanding ability to turn everything on its head," he said.
Meanwhile, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services cut Russia's credit rating to one notch above junk, sending Russian stocks and the ruble lower. The ratings firm noted the heightened tension in Ukraine and the prospect of sanctions.
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