pro-Russian protestors Ukraine


Marko Djurica/REUTERSPro-Russian activists burn uniforms outside the prosecutor's office in Donetsk May 1, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters stormed the prosecutor's office in the separatist-held city of Donetsk on Thursday, lobbing petrol bombs and stones, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian protesters stormed the prosecutor's office in the separatist-held city of Donetsk on Thursday, lobbing stones and smashing windows after accusing the office of working for the Western-backed government in Kiev. Donetsk, a city of about 1 million people in Ukraine's industrial east, is at the center of an armed uprising across the steel and coal belt by mainly Russian-speakers threatening to secede from Ukraine. The violence, in a city already largely under the control of separatists, underscored the shifting security situation and suspicions in the region.

ukraine

REUTERS/Marko Djurica Pro-Russian activists stand outside the prosecutor's office in Donetsk May 1, 2014. Pro-Russian protesters stormed the prosecutor's office in the separatist-held city of Donetsk on Thursday, lobbing petrol bombs and stones, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. "The prosecutor's office was issuing criminal orders from Kiev against its own people, charging them with separatism and other fake crimes," said one protester, a 43-year-old man from Donetsk who gave his name as Igor. Interfax-Ukraine news agency said the protesters had allowed security officers inside the building to leave, but that some were wounded. A Reuters reporter saw blood on the ground. Pro-Russian separatists in the city have declared a "People's Republic of Donetsk" and say they will hold a referendum on secession on May 11.

Ukraine coat of arms burning

-Marko Djurica/REUTERSUkrainian coat of arms burns outside the prosecutor's office in Donetsk May 1, 2014. Police in the east have largely given up without a fight when confronted with protesters armed with clubs and often well-organized gunmen in masks and military fatigues. But officers often continue to work, in tacit cooperation with separatist leaders who want to maintain order. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pro-russian-protesters-storm-office-in-donetsk-2014-5#ixzz3iJJITSi2