Buildings Stormed in Eastern Ukraine by 'Pro-Russia' Demonstrators

Pro-Russia demonstrators enter a government building after over-powering police. (Scrren capture from
YouTube video)

Pro-Russia Activists Seize Government Building in Donetsk

By BBC
Pro-Russian protesters have stormed government buildings in three eastern Ukrainian cities.

In Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv they clashed with police, hung Russian flags from the buildings and called for a referendum on independence.

Ukraine's acting president called an emergency security meeting in response.

The unrest comes amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine over the removal of pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych and Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow has the right to protect the Russian-speaking population there. Ukraine's leaders deny the country's Russian speakers are under threat and have said they will resist any intervention in their country.

Ukrainian Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov cancelled a planned visit to Lithuania and called a meeting of the country's security chiefs to deal with the unrest...

Meanwhile, Ukraine's far-right Svoboda party has reported that the body of one its activists was found on Saturday after it was dumped in the woods with signs of torture, a day after his abduction in the central village of Vygrayev.

Svoboda was one of the participants in the protests that toppled Mr Yanukovych's administration.

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