Ukraine army helicopter shot down near Sloviansk

Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have shot down a military helicopter near Sloviansk, killing 14 people, the country's outgoing president says. Olexander Turchynov said the rebels used a Russian-made anti-aircraft system, and that an army general was among the dead. The town of Sloviansk has seen fierce fighting between separatists and government forces in recent weeks. President-elect Petro Poroshenko has vowed to tackle "bandits" in the east. Russia has reiterated calls for Ukraine to stop its military campaign against the pro-Moscow rebels and "start a real national dialogue". The Russian foreign ministry also urged the United States and European Union "to use all their influence on Kiev to stop Ukraine's slide into national catastrophe". At the scene: Arkady Babchenko, Russian journalist, Donetsk Region The helicopter had just taken off after transporting soldiers to a Ukrainian base The helicopter arrived at Karachun [near Sloviansk], to unload and pick up a group of people who were finishing their tour and going on leave. They were shot down after take-off. I had talked to the pilot and also to Gen Kulchytskiy. The pilots were very nice guys - polite, correct, friendly. Gen Kulchytskiy was very capable and very accessible. A good commander who would fly to the checkpoints where his soldiers were. He would personally bring them food and water. He kept an eye on everything. The fighting here has become more frequent recently. In the last few days, it broke out even during the daytime. Previously, it happened only at night. However, the last two days were relatively quiet. The army man checkpoints, preventing the forces of the People's Republic of Donetsk from moving about freely. The mood is good among the soldiers. No desertion or talk about giving up. People are in good fighting spirit. 'Terrorists' The BBC's Mark Lowen in the region says Thursday's incident was a major blow to the Ukrainian army as it pursues its offensive against the separatists. The helicopter was hit during heavy fighting between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, after it had dropped off troops at a military base.