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President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine against continuing its offensive against pro-Russian separatists after troops entered the eastern city of Slavyansk, killing five rebels.

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“If it is true that the current regime in Kyiv sent the army against citizens inside its country, then it is a very serious crime against its own nation,” Putin said at a meeting with the media in St. Petersburg today. “It will have consequences for the people who make such decisions, including relations between our countries. We’ll see how the situation develops and we’ll make conclusions based on the reality on the ground.”

Ukrainian Interior Ministry and army troops destroyed three road blocks as they went into separatist-held Slavyansk in the Donetsk region, the ministry said Thursday. Armoured vehicles stopped on the edge of town to remove mines as helicopters hovered overhead, according to Russia’s state-owned Rossiya 24.