Ukraine in military crackdown

PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3

Ukrainian forces raided at dawn in their operation to retake the town of Slaviansk from pro-Russian separatists.

Ukraine's interior minister said one helicopter was shot down. The pilot was killed.

But some of the rebels said two choppers had been shot down and another pilot rescued.

Video broadcast on state television channel Russia 24 showed an injured man with blood on his leg and face being carried from a car and laid on a mat on the ground.

Ukrainian officials said the rebels responded to the offensive with grenade and anti-aircraft missile launchers.

They're describing the military action as the active phase of an anti-terrorist operation.

Kiev accuses the Russian government of financing and arming the separatists, a charge Moscow denies.

The rebels have seized buildings across eastern Ukraine and are demanding a referendum on independence for at least two regions.