Hero's Welcome for Pro-Russian Forces as Ukrainians Decamp

It's a welcome more suited for rock stars and matinee idols, not necessarily black-masked soldiers in camouflage here to protect a rebellion.

"You're our heroes! We love you!" the crowd clamors, smartphones in hand to capture history in this eastern Ukrainian town of Slavyansk with a population of 140,000, pro-Moscow Russian speakers in their vast majority.

Slavyansk is now part of a Kiev-ruled Ukraine in name only. Since Saturday, pro-Russian insurgents have controlled every political lever in town: the town hall, the police station and even the secret service headquarters, taking any weapons still left for the taking.

Ukraine vowed to take the town back, and on Sunday deployed a significant loyalist force to do so. Two helicopters, dozens of light armored vehicles and roughly 300 troops moved in as close as 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Slavyansk's city limits.

But the Ukraine troops moved no further. Their armored vehicles were blocked by pro-Russian militants. Six vehicles were seized.

Now, in scenes reminiscent of the seizing of Crimea in March, soldiers without insignia roam the streets protecting a political breakaway that is sure to draw fierce criticism not only from the Ukrainian government, but from the international community as well.

"Now we are protected by the military and not just civilians," said Natalia Teslanko, 53. "Thank goodness the army has come to help us. If the Kiev soldiers come to fight them, we women will become human shields to protect them."

With only their eyes peering through black balaclavas, the soldiers are men of few words.

Seized tanks, stationed in front of the occupied government buildings, are draped with Russian flags or the flag of the Republic of Donbass, this eastern region that dreams of joining Russia or at least breaking loose of Kiev in a Moscow-sanctioned federation.

No one will say for sure who these mysterious soldiers are or where they come from, but entire families bring them water and cigarettes, while young women lay flowers on their dusty tanks.

To Kiev, these troops are Russian special forces, here to do the bidding of President Vladimir Putin as he seeks to grab as much of Ukraine as he can.

To the residents, they are like-minded Ukrainians, a guarantee that Russian-speaking compatriots are protected from a vengeful and illegal Ukrainian government.

Nicknamed Balou, one soldier called himself a Ukrainian army deserter.

"I am a fighter from Crimea. There's about a dozen of us here. The others, about 150 soldiers, are Ukrainian," Balou said.

As he speaks, a fighter jet sent by Kiev tears through the sky overhead, but only draws jeers from the crowd.

"We will stay here, with the tanks, until the people have had a chance to decide their future in a referendum," said Balou, with only an orange and black ribbon of St. George to identify him, a discreet pro-Russian symbol.

"We're counting on you. We won't live under a fascist regime imposed by Kiev," a pensioner told Balou, afraid of an invasion by Ukrainian forces.

They won't attack their own people, Balou reassured him.

"We will crush them if they do."

A few dozen kilometers (miles) up the road, another column of 14 Ukrainian tanks is stopped in its tracks, blocked by fervent but unarmed pro-Russians including women and children.

Here too the scene borders on the festive, as onlookers snap photos of laconic Ukrainian soldiers sitting and waiting on their tanks and armored vehicles.

"I don't know where we were going, we were moving that's all," said one soldier as a fellow officer laughed carefully beside him.

"There's no problem, all is good. These people are our people. We're having a rest then we'll go home," he said.

And after hours of haranguing by the crowd, the soldiers eventually vow to reverse course, abandoning any plans to retake Slavyansk and agreeing to give up the firing mechanisms in their guns in return for a promise they can leave with their vehicles.

"Weapons will never again be used against the people," an insurgent told to the ebullient crowd, as some Ukrainian soldiers wipe away tears nearby.