MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – The mayor's office in Ukraine's eastern city of Donetsk has not been occupied by protesters and such reports could be a provocation, a spokesman for a local militia group told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
“The People’s Militia of Donbass in eastern Ukraine did not send its people there, this could actually be a provocation. We are now clarifying this issue,” spokesman Serhiy Tsyplakov said, adding that although the protesters were present in the region, they had not occupied the mayor's office.
Pro-federalization protesters armed with weapons had entered the Donetsk City Council, council members told RIA Novosti earlier Wednesday.
Eastern Ukraine has been swept by rallies supporting federalization since last month. Demonstrators in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government and are urging interim authorities to hold referendums similar to the one in Crimea last month, which led to the republic's reunification with Russia.
Russia condemned the decision by the new Ukrainian authorities to use force against federalization supporters, saying it was an extremely unpleasant turn of events.
