| BBC News | - |
Ukraine's
interim interior minister says firing has broken out in Kramatorsk, in
the Donetsk region. Arsen Avakov said the gun battle began when men
tried to storm local administration buildings and police fired back.
12 April 2014
Last updated at 14:14 ET
Tensions are rising in the east, as pro-Russian activists continue a stand-off with Ukraine's new government
Several more official buildings were reported to have been seized in eastern Ukraine on Saturday.
The confrontations come amid rising tension between the new government and pro-Russia protesters.
Earlier, gunmen occupied a police station and a security services building in the town of Sloviansk. Official buildings in Druzhkovka were also reported to have been taken over.
A Donetsk police chief also quit after pro-Russian crowds marched on a police station demanding his resignation.
Ukrainian TV channel 5 Kanal has aired remarks by the former police chief Kostyantyn Pozhydayev, saying over the phone that he had resigned in a bid to avoid bloodshed.
"Protesters came to me. So as to prevent bloodshed, I decided to tender my resignation to the [interior] minister," he said.
The same channel also showed Pozhydayev's deputy, Andriy Anosov, captioned as police chief, inviting pro-Russia protesters to work together with the police to prevent violence and looting.
The new government in Kiev accuses Moscow of orchestrating the unrest in the east of the country.
Interim Foreign Minister Andrei Deshchytsia urged Moscow to end "provocative" actions by its agents.
Eastern Ukraine has a large Russian-speaking population and has seen a series of protests since the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February.
Protesters in largely Russian-speaking Donetsk, 130km (80
miles) from Sloviansk, have been occupying government buildings for days
and demanding a referendum on becoming part of Russia.
A similar move prompted a Russian takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region earlier this year.
Russia has denied responsibility for the protests in eastern Ukraine, but Western nations have expressed concern over a build-up of Russian troops along the border.
The US and EU have imposed sanctions on Russian and Crimean people they say were connected with the takeover.
On Saturday morning, a group of men briefly occupied the prosecutor's office in Donetsk
Ukraine crisis: Kramatorsk shooting reported
Tensions are rising in the east, as pro-Russian activists continue a stand-off with Ukraine's new government
Ukraine's interim interior minister says firing has broken out in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region.
Arsen Avakov said the gun battle began when men tried to storm local administration buildings and police fired back. Several more official buildings were reported to have been seized in eastern Ukraine on Saturday.
The confrontations come amid rising tension between the new government and pro-Russia protesters.
Earlier, gunmen occupied a police station and a security services building in the town of Sloviansk. Official buildings in Druzhkovka were also reported to have been taken over.
A Donetsk police chief also quit after pro-Russian crowds marched on a police station demanding his resignation.
Ukrainian TV channel 5 Kanal has aired remarks by the former police chief Kostyantyn Pozhydayev, saying over the phone that he had resigned in a bid to avoid bloodshed.
"Protesters came to me. So as to prevent bloodshed, I decided to tender my resignation to the [interior] minister," he said.
The same channel also showed Pozhydayev's deputy, Andriy Anosov, captioned as police chief, inviting pro-Russia protesters to work together with the police to prevent violence and looting.
There are dozens of unidentified gunmen outside Sloviansk police station, the BBC's David Stern reports
Interim Foreign Minister Andrei Deshchytsia urged Moscow to end "provocative" actions by its agents.
Eastern Ukraine has a large Russian-speaking population and has seen a series of protests since the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February.
A similar move prompted a Russian takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region earlier this year.
Russia has denied responsibility for the protests in eastern Ukraine, but Western nations have expressed concern over a build-up of Russian troops along the border.
The US and EU have imposed sanctions on Russian and Crimean people they say were connected with the takeover.
On Saturday morning, a group of men briefly occupied the prosecutor's office in Donetsk
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