Violence leaves dozens of protesters injured in Crimea

Dozens of pro-Russian protesters have been injured in northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv amid escalation of violence between supporters and opponents of the new government.

Violence further escalated on Saturday after pro-Russia activists broke into the regional governor’s headquarters and raised the Russian flag, after which gunshots were heard both from inside and outside the building of the regional administration.

Some 20,000 people joined the protest against Kiev’s new pro-Western government, which claimed power after the ouster of Kremlin-backed leader, Viktor Yanukovych.

Later, almost 300 people launched the assault on the government building, and stones and stun grenades were thrown though it was unclear by whom.

A similar pro-Russia rally has also been held in the eastern city of Donetsk, where tens of thousands of people marched in support of Crimea’s demand for the country to rejoin Russia. Leaflets were distributed in which the people were urged not to obey the new pro-western government in Kiev.

The rallies come as Crimea’s new Prime Minister Sergei Aksenov has called for a referendum on March 30, instead of May 25, for the people in the 2.2 million-population region to decide whether they want to remain as part of Ukraine, join Russia or form an independent state.

This comes as Ukraine’s acting president has signed a decree, declaring the appointment of a pro-Russia premier in the Crimea region as illegal.