Pro-Russian protesters occupy Ukraine buildings

Pro-Russian activists have maintained their seizure of government buildings in major eastern Ukrainian cities, vowing to continue until the start of a referendum on independence.

The protesters continued their stand for the fourth day in a row on Thursday, raising more barricades in front of the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service in Lugansk and the regional administration building in Donetsk.

The demonstrations come as a two-day ultimatum by the Western-backed government in Kiev will expire on Friday.

Ukraine’s interim authorities have threatened to use force against protesters who continued to occupy buildings beyond the deadline.

However, anti-government demonstrators in Donetsk have optimistically said their protest will triumph at the end of the day.

On Monday, protesters in Kharkiv declared independence from Kiev. The move followed a similar declaration by pro-Russian protesters in Donetsk.

Pro-Russian demonstrations gained momentum in the Eastern European country after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16.

The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing sanctions against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.