Pro-Russian protesters seize Donetsk city council

Tensions have escalated in Ukraine’s volatile east as pro-Russian protesters have taken control of the city council building in Donetsk.

Pro-Russian activists seized control of the government building on Wednesday after a group of people entered the building without resistance.

This is while in the city of Slavyansk, some 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Donetsk, six armored personnel carriers bearing the Russian flag have reportedly entered the town and stopped outside the town hall, which is occupied by pro-Russian activists.

The developments come a day after the Ukrainian military began massive operations against the pro-Russian activists in the country’s eastern cities.

Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov said the operation was being conducted in the “north of Donetsk region” to root out protests in eastern Ukraine.

The military operation was launched after protesters defied an April 14 deadline set by the Ukrainian government to lay down arms and leave occupied state buildings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Kiev’s military operation puts the country on the verge of a civil war.

According to reports, pro-Moscow protesters continue to occupy government, police and other administrative buildings in nearly 10 cities close to the Russian border. Protesters have been demanding local referendums on either independence or integration into Russia.

Pro-Russia rallies gained momentum in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine after the Crimean territory declared independence from the former Soviet state and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation. Crimea held a referendum on March 16, in which almost 97 percent of the participants voted for rejoining Russia, with a turnout of more than 83 percent.