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James Reynolds reports from the site of the clash
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he has "a right" to send troops into Ukraine but hopes he will "not have to exercise that right".
He was speaking live on Russian TV after a clash in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, in which three pro-Russian protesters were reported killed.
Mr Putin said he hoped the crisis would be resolved through dialogue.
Talks have opened in Geneva between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and US - the first since unrest erupted in Crimea.
In his annual live television phone-in, Mr Putin warned the Ukrainian authorities of "the abyss they're heading into" and urged dialogue.
He also admitted for the first time that Russian forces had been active in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow last month. Previously he insisted that the camouflaged, masked gunmen who took over Crimea were a local "self-defence" force.
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President Vladimir Putin: ''There are no Russian units in eastern Ukraine''
The West says Russia is aiding the pro-Russian activists now occupying dozens of official buildings in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Mr Putin dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Russian special forces were operating there.
Russian-speakers are a majority in Crimea and Donetsk, where ties to Russia are strong. Mr Putin reminded viewers that Tsarist Russia used to call eastern Ukraine "New Russia".
"The Federation Council [upper house of parliament] granted the president the right to use military force in Ukraine. I really hope that I do not have to exercise that right and that we are able to solve all today's pressing issues via political and diplomatic means," Mr Putin said.
He said the Kiev government, which had "seized power", had only spoken to its own appointees in the region, but "not to the people whom locals trust".
Fighting in MariupolOvernight about 300 pro-Russian separatists attacked a military unit in Mariupol near the Azov Sea, throwing petrol bombs. Troops opened fire, killing three, Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on Facebook.
The operation is continuing - Ukraine has sent in reinforcements including helicopters. There was no independent confirmation of his statement.
There's going to be a lot of talk in Geneva - and beyond using terms like "decentralisation", "federalism" and "regionalisation".
Even the interim Ukrainian government is willing to discuss greater decentralisation. For if Ukraine is to have any reasonable future then constitutional change of some kind is widely seen as necessary.
The balance of power between Kiev and the regions has to change, not least to enable the Russian-speaking areas to have more of a say over their own affairs. Substantial powers might have to be transferred.
The trouble is that all of these terms mean very different things to different people. Russia for example sees "federalism" as a way of weakening the hold of Kiev and seems to want regions to be able to enter into relationships with a foreign country - Russia - irrespective of the views of the central government in Kiev.
According to Mr Avakov, 13 of the attackers were wounded and so far 63 have been detained. He said none of the interior ministry troops had been killed.
It is the heaviest casualty toll in any single incident so far in eastern Ukraine.
Retreating separatists reportedly wounded two passers-by, set a minibus ablaze and also set fire to a building next to the military garrison.
"Through joint efforts by the armed police and national guard the attacking gang was dispersed after a short battle, most of them were cornered and disarmed," Mr Avakov said.
According to Russia's state-run Vesti TV news, unarmed local protesters tried to talk to the Ukrainian troops but were met with gunfire.
Tensions escalated last month when Russia annexed Crimea, causing international outrage. Unrest later spread to Donetsk region, triggering Europe's worst crisis since the Cold War.
Mr Putin took questions from residents of Sevastopol, base of the Russian fleet in Crimea, the first place to feature in his annual live phone-in. It is the first time Crimea has been included.
He insisted that Russian speakers in Ukraine "must be equal citizens... it's a question of guarantees for those people".
He also admitted for the first time that Russian troops had been "behind the backs of self-defence forces in Crimea" to ensure that last month's referendum there could be held and that weapons stores were not seized by Ukrainian forces.
The annexation of Crimea has fuelled concern that other parts of eastern Ukraine could also break away from Kiev's control and join Russia.
Russia had acted in Crimea partly out of concern that Ukraine could be "dragged into" Nato as the alliance expanded eastward, Mr Putin said.
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Ukrainian attack helicopters buzzed villagers in Kramatorsk, but the army eventually had to give up, as Daniel Sandford reports
Earlier, US President Barack Obama warned Russia against support for further action by armed pro-Russian groups.
"What I have said consistently is that each time Russia takes these kinds of steps that are designed to destabilise Ukraine and violate their sovereignty, that there are going to be consequences," he said.
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President Barack Obama: ''Each times Russia takes these kinds of steps..there are going to be consequences''
Reports say that the White House is considering a package of non-lethal aid for the Ukrainian military. This may include clothing and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's military operation against separatists has hit obstacles.
Called an "anti-terrorist" operation by the Kiev government, it started on Tuesday and is designed to dislodge pro-Russian gunmen from local authority buildings.
In several districts, Ukrainian troops met vehement opposition on Wednesday from pro-Russian militants.
In the city of Kramatorsk, six military vehicles were commandeered by gunmen, who disarmed the Ukrainian soldiers and sent some of them home on buses.
And just south of Sloviansk, a column of 14 Ukrainian military vehicles was surrounded by local civilians and pro-Russian gunmen, who made the Ukrainian troops unload their magazines and drive off.
The foreign ministers of the US, EU, Ukraine and Russia have started talks in Geneva.
The US and the EU want an end to the occupations in eastern Ukraine and for the estimated 40,000-strong Russian forces massed near the Ukrainian border to pull back.
A US official stressed that Russia must "take this opportunity to de-escalate" or face a tightening of sanctions.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriy Deshchytsya, called on Russia "not to support terrorist activities in eastern Ukraine."
Russia, which strongly opposed the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych in February, has proposed a new constitution which devolves more power to the regions.
Expectations for the talks are low, says the BBC's Gavin Hewitt in Geneva.
Are you in eastern Ukraine? What is the situation like where you are? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Eastern Ukraine'.
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