Some 1,000 protesters surrounded the regional police headquarters in Donetsk on April 12 before storming it.
Reports say armed men now occupy the building.
Media reports also said armed pro-Russian activists have seized or stormed official buildings in the cities of Slovyansk, Krasnyy Lyman, and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.
Pro-Russian armed groups have been occupying the regional administration building in Donetsk and Security Service headquarters in another eastern city, Luhansk, since April 6.
The protesters are demanding a referendum to decide Ukraine's federalization.
Similar events also took place in other southern and eastern oblast capitals in Ukraine. All of them followed similar scripts: people with Russian flags stormed buildings of regional state administrations, and, in the event of success, raised Russian flags over them. In Russia and among pro-Russian activists in Ukraine these events were called the Russian Spring.
According to participants, these assaults represented the “activation of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine in their fight for the preservation of their language.” Although Russian is widely spoken in many places in Ukraine, and ethnic Russians make up 17 percent of Ukraine’s population, the demonstrators say the government in Kyiv is threatening their language and culture.
Their demands also followed the same script: An urgent referendum to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March. The TV cameras captured thousands of Ukrainian residents waving Russian flags who all, supposedly, wished to reunite with Russia.
But is it true?
A closer look at the phenomena of “Donetsk separatism” reveals a different picture.
Read the whole piece here.
Most convincing evidence I've seen today that there are real pros at work (amid the local ruffians) in Slovyansk: https://t.co/bmG3jdV5Ir
— Joshua Yaffa (@yaffaesque) April 12, 2014
.@novostidnua reports police bldg in northern #Donetsk Oblast city of Krasniy Limon seized by armed pro-Russian group http://t.co/DhadEvFphu
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 12, 2014
Police and security bldgs seized in Donetsk, Sloviansk, Krasny Liman, Kramatorsk tdy by pro-Russians. Donetsk police head resigned. #Ukraine
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) April 12, 2014
Inside the occupied police-station in Donetsk. Protestors heavy guys, but no fire-arms pic.twitter.com/tA9imhftks
— Olaf Koens (@obk) April 12, 2014
Police-officers get ribbons and are told to leave the building pic.twitter.com/6nQLjpyFAN
— Olaf Koens (@obk) April 12, 2014
And the new self-proclaimed police-chief came out, says he's on the side of the demonstrators pic.twitter.com/CH4E3opMpg
— Olaf Koens (@obk) April 12, 2014
Crowd left after a round of applause for the police. 'Long live Berkut' pic.twitter.com/9BC4VItvOp
— Olaf Koens (@obk) April 12, 2014
One thing is conspicuously absent, though — law enforcement.
Read, or listen to, the whole report here.
En route to sloviansk. Just passed that roadblock again - lots of guys, still not stopping us.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
The road block is just south of Konstantinovka, for future reference.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Waved through another check point on slovyansk outskirts. Guys with double barrelled shotguns, pic'n'mix camo, cartridge bandoliers.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Civilians including women filling sandbags for chicanes across road.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Chatting with blokes with AKs and masks again. Oh so familiar.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Where'd you get the guns? The state. Eh? (Nods at Russian flag) you know, that state.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Real mix of guys. Old fat blokes who say they're afghan vets. Leaner young lads who carry their AKs like pros.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
"I got these in Kandahar." pic.twitter.com/goUQhyu8YB
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Also plenty who hold their AKs like twits, to give you the full picture of gun cradling.
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) April 12, 2014
Read the whole piece here.