Donetsk's self appointed minister of defense arrested pic.twitter.com/bggLYpR8ke
— bruce springnote (@BSpringnote) April 12, 2014
Militia building in Krasni Liman Donetsk oblast taken by about 20 separatists
— bruce springnote (@BSpringnote) April 12, 2014
Slovyansk Mayor Nelya Shtepa said there are some 1,000 people inside the city hall building and a Russian flag has been raised.
Police in the city say the pro-Russian separatists who seized the police station on the morning of April 12 have also taken control of some 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons that were in the station.
Avakov said on Facebook on April 12 that the "response will be very tough because there is a difference between protesters and terrorists."
Ihor Dyomin, a spokesman for the Donetsk regional police, said on April 12 that about 15-20 armed men wearing camouflage fatigues took control of the police station in Slovyansk.
Armed men wearing balaclavas and pro-Russian St. George ribbons were seen outside the police station as barricades were built and a small crowd gathered to chant pro-Russia slogans.
Slovyansk is about 100 kilometers north of Donetsk and has a population of some 130,000 people.
Meanwhile, acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya has urged Moscow to stop "provocative actions by Russian special agents in Ukraine's eastern regions."
Talking to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov via telephone on April 12, Deshchytsya said that the ongoing actions of Russian agents in eastern regions aim at disrupting the Geneva meeting on stabilization of the situation in Ukraine.
Deshchytsya also confirmed his participation in the U.S-EU-Russia-Ukraine talks in Geneva scheduled for April 17.
Locals from #Kostyantynivka, #Donetsk region, blocked the road leading to the town, set up a checkpoint
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) April 12, 2014
The #Crimea scenario is now being played out in #Donetsk. #Russia is invading mainland #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/EI6dP4VYby
— Anders Östlund (@andersostlund) April 12, 2014
In #Kramatorsk paratroopers and border guards are preparing to oppose a separatists attack on a police station http://t.co/IpPsVZNAuU
— democraticUkraine (@terval100) April 12, 2014
Police, border guards and Afghan war veterans in #Kramatorsk, #Donetsk region on full alert to fight back the separatists via @ostro_v
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) April 12, 2014
"Green men" in camouflage have set up barricades and checkpoints with tires outside Slavyansk, says @ostro_v http://t.co/elMJLpcXsI
— max seddon (@maxseddon) April 12, 2014
Maybe paranoia but reports of "men in green" along with separatists blocking access to Slavyansk
— bruce springnote (@BSpringnote) April 12, 2014