HORLIVKA, Ukraine, April 15 (RIA Novosti) – Pro-federalization activists in the southeastern Ukrainian town of Horlivka were still in control of the town hall building and the local police station on Tuesday, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
Demonstrators used tires and furniture to block the entrance of the police office with a barricade, now manned by militia fighters wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, who are reported to not be carrying firearms. Some of the windows in the building have been smashed, with traces of fire in one of the rooms.
The demonstrators earlier scaled the building of the police station to hoist a Russian flag and another of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, where Horlivka is located.
Workers at the town hall have a day off after protesters forced the town’s mayor to step down on Monday. Employees that came to work today were asked to return home by guards posted at the entrance. Some have been allowed to fetch documents from their offices. The building is also protected by a group of civilian-clothed activists and sports the familiar colors of the Donetsk Republic.
But, for the most part, town life is continuing on as usual. Residents go about their business, shops are open and public transport runs on schedule, including trains.
On Sunday, acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov issued a deadline to pro-federalization protesters of 10 a.m. Moscow time on Monday to disarm or face a “full-scale anti-terrorist operation” involving the country’s armed forces.
Beginning last month, protests have been regularly held in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv, with citizens demanding referendums on the status of their regions within the country. The protests have spread to other towns in the Donetsk region, including Slaviansk, Mariupol, Yenakiyevo and Kramatorsk.
Last Monday, pro-federalization activists declared the formation of the independent People’s Republic of Kharkiv and Donetsk People’s Republic.
