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
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
.@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
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
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.
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.
Video of armed, masked pro-Russian men in fatigues who seized #Slavyansk police station today in eastern #Ukraine https://t.co/2BycFksnaR
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 12, 2014
Separatist Protesters Take Over Police HQ In Slovyansk
Why #Slavyansk? Consult map: it's first city inside #Donetsk region on strategic road/rail line from #Kharkiv. #Ukraine
— Lucian Kim (@Lucian_Kim) April 12, 2014
@Lucian_Kim It's also the town which elected to the parliament former PM Azarov's son. And #Slovyansk mayor was very happy about that
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) April 12, 2014
@myroslavapetsa @Lucian_Kim ...That would be an area to watch, as well.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 12, 2014