Ukraine’s acting president has called an emergency security meeting in response to pro-Russian protests in three eastern Ukrainian cities.
Protesters stormed government buildings and called for a vote on independence in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv in an eerie repetition of the events that led to the annexation of the Crimea.
Thousands of Russian soldiers are reported to have been deployed along the border between Ukraine and Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that “Moscow has the right to protect the Russian-speaking population Ukraine”
In Donetsk, a large group of activists broke away from a crowd rallying in the main city square to attack and occupy the regional government seat.
After clashing with riot police and breaking through their lines to enter the building, they raised the Russian flag and hung a banner from the building. Protesters outside cheered and chanted: “Russia, Russia.”
In Luhansk, police fired tear gas at dozens of protesters who broke into the local security service building in an attempt to force the release of 15 pro-Russian activists
And in Kharkiv, several dozen people also entered the regional government building after breaking through police lines. They waved Russian flags out of windows as a crowd outside cheered and chanted. Police officers reportedly refused to use force against the crowd and moved away from the government building after the pro-Russian supporters broke in.
For the rest of the world there is a “Sense of Deja vu’ as east Ukraine goes though the same upheaval that led to Crimea becoming part of Russia.
