Pro-Russia Militia Displays Captured Ukrainians

SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine have shown journalists what they said were three captured Ukrainian security service officers, bloodied and blindfolded with packing tape.

Stripped of their trousers and shoes, the captives sat with heads bowed in the security service headquarters in the city of Slovyansk early Sunday morning.

There are now more than a dozen hostages being held in Slovyansk, including a group of eight foreign military observers traveling under the auspices of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The self-proclaimed mayor of the city has accused them of being NATO spies.

Igor Strelkov, who has been identified as the commander of the armed insurgents, said the three Ukrainian officers were on a mission to seize leaders of the pro-Russia force when they were captured.

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