Ukraine holds emergency national security meeting
Iran Press TV
Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:41PM GMT
Ukraine has held an emergency national security meeting following the seizure of government buildings by Pro-Russian protesters in the eastern city of Slavyansk.
Acting President Oleksander Turchinov called for the meeting on Saturday after pro-Russians took control of police headquarters and security service buildings in Slavyansk, 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the industrial city of Donetsk.
'At 9 p.m. (1800 GMT) a meeting will take place of the Ukrainian council of security and defense because of the situation in the east of Ukraine,' a spokeswoman for Turchinov said earlier in the day.
Following the secession of Crimea from Ukraine in March, the secession movement soon spread to other regions including Odessa, Luhansk, Nikolayev, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhkovka, which are all located in Donetsk province.
Protesters in these areas have taken control over government buildings and raised the Russian flag.
Reports say fighting has erupted in several towns in eastern Ukraine. Protesters demand a referendum on breaking with Kiev and integrating into Russia, but Ukrainian officials say their demands are unacceptable.
Pro-Russia demonstrations gained momentum after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, in which nearly 97 percent of the participants voted for rejoining Russia, with a turnout of more than 83 percent.
On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law documents that officially made Crimea part of the Russian territory, a move that sparked angry reactions from the US and the EU, both imposing sanctions against a number of Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean officials.
MSM/NN/AS
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