Ukrainian National Guard units have pulled back from the flashpoint of confrontations in Mariupol in order not to provoke the activists and to ensure the security of the civilian population, the National Guard press service reports.

"As of 8 a.m. on May 10 tensions persisted in the city of Mariupol. The Ukrainian National Guard command and servicemen are doing everything in their power to achieve stabilization in the city," the report runs.

According to the Ukrainian side, one serviceman died and four were injured in the May 9 clashes near the city police department.

The Ukrainian servicemen tried to storm the department building where policemen, who had refused to obey orders from Kyiv, had barricaded themselves in.

A fire broke out and the department building burned to the ground.

In all, seven people died and 39 sustained injuries in the army operation in Mariupol, Donetsk region, the regional administration's health department said.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said one law enforcement officer died and five were injured in the fighting. He claimed the death of about 20 militiamen and the capture of four.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported injuries of eight army servicemen in the course of the Mariupol operation.