Pro-Russian protesters stormed government buildings in Donetsk today.
The protesters climbed a fence and smashed windows.
Pro-#Russian protestors storming #Donetsk city admin building @mikekomar |PR Post #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/dTeipNpWhF
— Euromaidan PR (@EuromaidanPR) April 6, 2014
TIME reported:
Crowds of pro-Russian demonstrators stormed government buildings Sunday in two major cities in eastern Ukraine, where secessionist sentiment has sparked frequent protests since Ukraine’s Russia-friendly president was ousted in February.
In Luhansk, 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the Russian border, hundreds of people surrounded the local headquarters of the security service and later scaled the facade to plant a Russian flag on the roof.
In Donetsk, to the southwest, a large group of people surged into the provincial government building and smashed windows. A gathering of several hundred, many of them waving Russian flags, then listened to speeches delivered from a balcony emblazoned with a banner reading “Donetsk Republic.”
Eastern Ukraine was the heartland of support for Viktor Yanukovych, the president who fled to Russia in February after months of protests. About half of the region’s residents are ethnic Russians, many of whom believe Ukraine’s acting authorities are Ukrainian nationalists who will oppress Russians.
Fight with separatists in #Donetsk pic.twitter.com/ev0BIbKS5M @mikekomar | PR News #Ukraine
— Euromaidan PR (@EuromaidanPR) April 6, 2014