Pro-Russia protesters seize Ukraine government buildings, declare ’sovereign republic’

Apr 7, 2014 By Henrik Palmgren | redice.tv

Tensions in Ukraine mounted over the weekend as pro-Russian protestors stormed government buildings and declared the seized territories to be a ’sovereign republic’. They are now calling for a referendum as held in Crimea.Perspectives and reporting vary based on the news outlet, be it western or eastern. We highlight news from Euronews, RussiaToday, and Reuters:---Ukraine: ‘Sovereign republic declared’ by Donetsk activistsFrom: EURONewsPro-Russian activists occupying a regional government building in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk have reportedly declared a ‘sovereign republic’.Demonstrators seized official buildings in three eastern cities – Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk – on Sunday night, demanding referendums be held on whether to join Russia.Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk says such protests are part of a plan to destabilise the country and bring in Russian troops.As for Moscow’s push for broader regional autonomy in Ukraine, he told the cabinet in Kyiv that “deceptive calls for federalisation are an attempt to destroy the Ukrainian state” in a “scenario written by the Russian Federation”.Yatsenyuk said that although much of the unrest had died down in eastern Ukraine in the past month, there remained about 1,500 “radicals” in each region who spoke with “clear Russian accents” and whose activity was being coordinated through foreign intelligence services.But he said Ukrainian authorities had drawn up a plan to handle the crisis.“We have a clear action plan,” he said, adding that senior officials would head to the towns concerned.Ukraine’s pro-European, post-revolution authorities are determined not to lose more territory after the Russia-backed takeover of Crimea in March and then its annexation.Yatsenyuk rejected claims that Russia has pulled back some of the thousands of troops it has massed on the frontier.It is “just them pretending,” he said. “In fact, their troops are now 30 kilometres away from the Ukrainian border.”[...]Read the full article at: euronews.com---Donetsk activists proclaim region’s independence from UkraineFrom: Russia TodayIn the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, a group of activists have declared their region independent from Kiev. This comes after protesters stormed a local government building last night.Mass demonstrations against the country’s new leadership started peacefully on Sunday, but the situation quickly escalated.Pro-Russian protesters in Donetsk have seized the local power building, including the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine and proclaimed the creation of a People’s Republic of Donetsk.Ukraine’s police and security services have not interfered, although officials in Kiev are threatening punishment for the rioters.Protesters have erected barricades around the Council building. Today at 12:20 local time, a session of the people’s Council of Donbass (Donetsk region) took place in the main hall of the Regional Council and unanimously voted on a declaration to form a new independent state: the People’s Republic of Donetsk.The Council proclaimed itself the only legitimate body in the region until the regions in southeast Ukraine conduct a general referendum, set to take place no later than May 11.“The Donetsk Republic is to be created within the administrative borders of the Donetsk region. This decision will come into effect after the referendum,” the statement said.The Council in Donetsk issued an address to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for deployment of a temporary peacekeeping force to the region.“Without support it will be hard for us to stand against the junta in Kiev,” said the address.“We are addressing Russian President Putin because we can only entrust our security to Russia,” the statement said.[...]Read the full article at: rt.com---Pro-Russia protesters seize Ukraine buildings, Kiev blames PutinBy Lina Kushch and Thomas Grove | ReutersPro-Russian protesters seized state buildings in three east Ukrainian cities on Sunday, triggering accusations from the pro-European government in Kiev that President Vladimir Putin was orchestrating "separatist disorder".The protesters stormed regional government buildings in the industrial hub of Donetsk and security service offices in nearby Luhansk, waving Russian flags and demanding a Crimea-style referendum on joining Russia.Protesters also later seized the regional administrative building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, Interfax news agency reported. All three cities lie close to Ukraine’s border with Russia.Interior Minister Arsen Avakov vowed to restore order in eastern Ukraine without using violence and also accused Ukraine’s ousted president Viktor Yanukovich, whose political base was in Donetsk, of conspiring with Putin to fuel tensions."Putin and Yanukovich ordered and paid for the latest wave of separatist disorder in the east of the country. The people who have gathered are not many but they are very aggressive," Avakov said in a statement on his Facebook page."The situation will come back under control without bloodshed. That is the order to law enforcement officers, it’s true. But the truth is that no one will peacefully tolerate the lawlessness of provocateurs."Acting President Oleksander Turchinov called an emergency meeting of security chiefs in Kiev and took personal control of the situation, the parliamentary press service said.Mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine has seen a sharp rise in tensions since Yanukovich’s overthrow in February and the advent of an interim government in Kiev that backs closer ties with the European Union.Russia has branded the new government illegitimate and has annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region, citing threats to its Russian-speaking majority - a move that has sparked the biggest standoff between Moscow and the West since the end of the Cold War.REFERENDUM DEMANDAround 1,500 people protested in Donetsk on Sunday before breaking into the regional administration building, where they hung a Russian flag from a second-floor balcony, a Reuters witness said. Protesters outside cheered and chanted "Russia! Russia!".In the Luhansk protest, Ukrainian television said three people had been injured. Police could not confirm the report.Talking to the crowd over a loudspeaker, protest leaders in Donetsk said they wanted regional lawmakers to convene an emergency meeting to discuss a vote on joining Russia like the one in Ukraine’s Crimea region that led to its annexation."Deputies of the regional council should convene before midnight and take the decision to carry out a referendum," one of the protest leaders said, without identifying himself.A local Internet portal streamed footage from the seized building, showing people entering and exiting freely. Soviet-era music was being played over loudspeakers outside.The building houses the offices of Serhiy Taruta, a steel baron recently appointed by the interim government in Kiev as governor of a region with close economic and historical ties to Russia."Around 1,000 people took part (in the storming of the building), mostly young people with their faces covered," said Ihor Dyomin, a spokesman for Donetsk local police."Around 100 people are now inside the building and are barricading the building," he added.In Luhansk, Reuters television showed images of hundreds of people outside the state security services building and a policeman in riot armor being carried away on a stretcher.Ukrainian television said the Luhansk protesters were demanding the release of people detained by security services in recent days as well as a referendum on joining Russia."We don’t want to join the EU, we don’t want to join NATO. We want our children to live in peace," an unnamed woman told Ukraine’s Channel Five in Luhansk.[...]Read the full article at: yahoo.com

Tune into Red Ice Radio:Patrick Henningsen - Hour 1 - Ukraine, Crimea, Russia and the West

Pro-Russia protesters seize Ukraine government buildings, declare ’sovereign republic’

Comments

We're Hiring

Help Out

Tips

Related News

Archives Pick

Red Ice Radio

3Fourteen

TV