Armed protesters seize police station in eastern Ukrainian town

Published January 08, 2015

At least a dozen armed men have seized a police station in a small town in eastern Ukraine as tensions in the country's Russia-speaking regions intensify.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said men in camouflage stormed a police station in Slovyansk early Saturday. The town is about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the regional center, Donetsk, where pro-Russian protesters have occupied a government building for nearly a week.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov pledged a "very tough response" to the seizure.

Video on a local website showed several armed men in balaclavas guarding the entrance to the police station.

Protesters who have held the administration building in Donetsk since Sunday initially called for a referendum on secession but later reduced the demand to a vote on autonomy within Ukraine.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/armed-protesters-seize-police-station-in-eastern-ukrainian-town