. >> can you find the newly proclaimed people's republic of donesk on a map? neither can the ukrainian government, and they would like to keep it that way. russia versus ukraine in the east. it's the "inside story." hello, i'm ray suarez. it didn't end with crimea. as rush consolidates its power in the recently absorbed part of ukraine it looks like president vladimir putin's ambitions going further in swallowing up an old territory. grabbing public buildings, proclaiming themselves the new authorities in their parts of the country. the ukrainian government in kiev has threatened an armed response operations. a deadline passed for getting out of the buildings and so far no assault. a goal in turnabout the ukrainian threat. many western governments made it clear they feel that the provocations are backed, supplied, created by russia. the crimean occupation followed by a referendum didn't start to build down tension at this important cross road between east and west. >> pre-russian protesters hurl rocks, smash windows and broke into a police station on monday. t

they are there because pro russian demonstrators took control of government buildings in donesk.hey are making plans for n.a.t.o. just in case. >> we will have more planes in the air more ships on the water and more readiness on the land. for example, for aircraft over the region. allied ships will deploy to the baltic sea. the eastern mid terrainen, and elsewhere as required. >> meanwhile pro russian forces are said to be gaining ground in donesk. al jazeera is there. >> reporter: it's still not clear where they came from, but six carriers rolled in flying russian flags. they were greeted by some of the locals. ukrainian troops had to take to their side. >> the ukrainian did switch to the people's side. you can count how many there a are. >> elsewhere protesters condition to occupy the regional government head quartered in donesk. they took over the building ten days ago and declared a people's republic 37 the people hearsay they're being incorrectly portrayed. locals want more autonomy from kiev and maintaining their demand of the referendum, and they say they will boycott coll

for us. >> here in the self declared people's republic of donesk, the overnight officials, they don'tt us filming inside barricades. citing safety. russia, save us from slavery. and this one saying, doesn't want fascism. all around us, a sense making permanent their presence. this woman carrying out a number of documents from inside the building. in the offices up there, one given out for each of the regions. that may seek to john this self declared republic. as the the dead lean approachli. >> washington accuses moscow of orchestrating the unrest as pretext for possible military intervention. but russia says it has no intention of invading ukraine. just how worried he is about tens of thousands of russian troupes amassed along the border. are you more concerned today than you were for instance that russia will take the next step and go into eastern ukraine. we are always vigilant. as you know, general breedlove, our allied commander has been tasked by nay tto to come up wi new additional options. he will be reporting those options become to me as well as, as, to nato. so -- we don't

here in donesk, the feelings. are divided about europe and russia. >> reporter: the ukrainian army seems to have suffered a set back. after retaking control of an airstrip on tuesday the army has lost several armored vehicles to pro-russian militia. they paraded them around town with a pro-russian flag. they made the short drive to another town where pro-russian sentiment is running high. another parade and some enthusiastic spectators. there were claims that some ukrainian soldiers had switched sides. >> you ukrainian military vehicle which were on the way to suppress the riot were stopped. the people asked them to come. we came there and the pair tradition troopers joined the people's army. >> reporter: but the army denies there has been any defections and sent military jets to underline the point. across eastern ukraine it still has a fight on its hands. jackie roland, al jazeera, donesk. >> rescue teams in south korea are working through the night to search for victims of the capsized ferry. leasfeast four peo

al jazeera, dp donesk. >>> the crisis took centerstage on capitol hill. john kerry faced difficult questions about russia's actions in the country in front of a senate schmidt. libby casey has more >> reporter: secretary kerry addressed directly concerns accusations that russia is playing an active role in trying to destabilize eastern ukraine. >> that's clear and unmistakable involvement in destabilizing and engaging in sep rat test activities in the east of ukraine is more than deeply disturbing. no one should be fooled -- and believe me, no one is fooled -- by what could potentially be a con tried pretext for military intervention as we saw in crimea. equally as clear must be the reality that the united states and our allies will not hesitate to use 21st sent re tools to hold russia accountable for 19th century behavior. >> a secretary of state said there will be a meeting in next week between russians, ukrainians and the u.s. four-party talks, which are significant in the secretary's eyes because it does mean that the ukrainians and the russians can s

protesters fortified their position in a building in done donesk. they're using explosives and weapons to hold people against their will. >> reporter: three days it's seizing the government building in donesk. ukraine's deputy prime minister said police won't storm this building right away, and they're hope a deal with be reached but that will be difficult for different leaders speak forgive different factions. >> there are private talks and there are private negotiations between influential people, but no one is negotiating with the people of the public. >> after police moved in on their allies, those here are prepared for a shutdown. >> they are prepared. >> they say don esk is now an independent republic. one leader we spoke to said that they remain united. >> the authority that came to power in kiev is illegal. they blame us and say we're separatists. although a declaration of sovereignty of any district is not a sign of separatism. we're no deviating, we're not destroying anything. they said they will ask moscow for protection if there is an at

so far, the group in donesk is refusing to budge and kim vanell is in donesk with more. >>> from inside their barricaded empire, protesters keep watch as reinforcements arrive. this, they say, is their domain, an independent republic representing the people. the offer of an amnesty quickly refused by those at the top who say they would rather face the use of force. >> there has been a lot of statements about storming buildings we are living from one statement to the next. what can we do? we are not ready to step aside. the people are not ready to either. the offer came, saying if they leave they won't face prosecution. as part of the deal, they could gain more regional control. >> we are ready to consider the issue of reform, of local government and expanding the rights of local coun sizzle including the creation of executive authorities for councils. we are ready to take that path to the regions. we will also be responsible for the situation in the country and not just refer to what's going on kiev. >> protesters say it's the authorities in kiev who should listen to their demands and n

it is a difficult situation because just yesterday, the prime minister had gone to donesk and was trying to calm the situation down. he had promised that there would be no violent crackdown on protester. he had begun to offer some concessions even though they have not beenlelized yet. these have surrounded that police building. its not clear who was inside that building at that particular time. it was early morning from what we understand, but it is a police building so presumably, there were some servicemen inside. they still haven't identified themselves. but when you talk to people hear about it and you ask them who they are, they will tell you these are people who don't like the authorities in kiev. they have taken over this security building behind me and they will probably have those exact same demands. >> okay. so we are waiting for the special forces to arrive there. it remains to be seen what attitude they take when they get there but the view, a similar situation in evidence. you have been able to assess the personal situation and the protests where you are. there is support fo

not only here today have they announced donesk is an independent republic.hey have created inside a resolution which they are going to pass on to russian president vladimir putin asking for his help. >> one of the group's leaders told me some of the seats on the council were difficult to fill. >> translator: they came up with a resolution and wrote the names of those who they he represent and elected them. 45 of the seats were taken by delegates and the rest were the filled by those who came with them. >> activists have also asked putin to put a force on standby of so-called peace keepers who could come to their aid if the government in kiev responds with violence. we are addressing you, vladimir putin. in russia, we see our last remaining defender of our culture in the. >> their first demand, a referendum giving the region a chance to decide whether to join russia. >> they say moscow has send provacatures across the border giving russia an excuse to invade. >> citizens of ukraine, the second wave started. the goal is to destablize the situation in the count

this was the scene this donesk this morning as protesters dug in maintaining occupation of several government sites in that city. and pro russian demonstrators attacked supporattacked today. stephanie moore has more on the crisis that is getting worse by the minute. >> reporter: these this is the first line of defense against any attempt by ukrainian security force toss retake this police station. sunday losing one officer in the clashes. to the south protesters demand to join russia as they fortify the entrance of the mayor's office they seized sunday. and heavily armed men believed to be backed by moscow were carrying weapons similar to those used by special force whence they took crimea. >> ukraine's president implemented a deadline that ran out this morning for all protesters to lay down their weapons or face a large scale offensive to bring order. it prompted an emergency meeting sunday night at the u.n. security council where some say the unrest is calculated and financed solely by one party. >> we know who is behind this the only entity capable of these coordinated actions is russia. >

that was the situation in the donesk region of ukraine. almost 150 kilometers away we go pro russian demonstrators protesting there. we have this report. >> reporter: it's the early days of the ukrainian crisis when protesters in kiev stood to oust viktor yanukovych. here they are against the new ukrainian government. it's been a week since they took over the security building by pro russian supporters. with every day that passes, the list gets longer, now they want the formation of a southeastern apparently, but this is not crimea and beyond the encampment there is little sympathy for the protesters. the majority of people here look at kiev rather than moscow. >> this is crazy. these are unemployed people who have nothing to do. they're being paid by russia. they represent less than 1% of us. we can't listen to them. if they want a referendum, they need six months to prepare it or russia will rig the ballots. >> reporter: they have seized a large amount of weapons that were inside the security building. the government has warned several t

in donesk they want referendum from kiev, and they want that referendum held on may 11th before the presidentiallections may 25th. they plan to boycott those presidential elections if the referendum is not held first. we're seeing today some authorities angry at the interior minister, saying he is not acting fast enough to quell the tension in the east. others are saying the words from kiev don't mean much with the deadline come and go. ukrainian forces, we have seen no sign of that. they said if they cannot back up words with action then they should resign. >> and we're just hearing russia has denied its giving orders to ththethe arms groups. let's get the latest now from peter sharp in moscow. >> the categorical denial that russia was involved with the eventually in eastern ukraine. it's only the weekend that n.a.t.o. accused russia of participating in the destabilization of eastern ukraine, citing shots of pictures of soldiers with uniforms all the same uniforms with no badge or rank or insignificant knee i can't. very much the scenes we've seen in crimea in february. but it was sergei lavrov

after a week of protests, donesk's police station has stepped down.rmed men opened fire seizing buildings in other towns. leaders in kiev call today's an act of aggression from russia. al jazeera's kim vanell has the latest >> reporter: this is the police station, usually a place for local offices now in the hands of pro-russian activists. more than a dozen gunmen, many with professional grade weapons go in and out of the building. it's unclear how many more may be waiting inside. outside the building, local supporters gather. hundreds chanting the words "referendum." they say they want the people to vote on autonomy from kiev. many here believe the interim government is i will legitmat and not listening to the people in the east. >> our people want to live quietly and peacefully so we are not under america and the west. we don't want to be their slaves. we want to be with russia. >>> the gunmen took the building in the early hours of saturday morning. this video shot from across the road shows them prepare to go enter through a window. within hours,

. >> can you find the newly proclaimed people's republic of donesk on a map? the ukrainian government, and they would like to keep it that way. russia versus ukraine in the east. it's the "inside story." hello, i'm ray suarez. it didn't end with crimea. as rush consolidates its power

it's demonstrators have occupied a government building in donesk for nearly a week.nwhile negotiations are happening at another occupied building. ukraine's acting president has called an emergency meeting with the national security council today and the united states vice president will travel to kiev later this month. kim vanell has the latest. >> this is the police station, usually a place for local officers, now in the hands of pro-russian activists. more than a dozen gunmen, many with professional-grade weapons go in and out of the building. it's unclear how many more may be waiting inside. outside the building, local supporters gathers. hundreds chanting the records "referendum." they say they want the people to vote on autonomy from kiev. many believe the interim government is i will legitimate and not listening to the people in the east. >> our people want to live quietly and peacefully without the junta who seized power in kiev. we don't want to be their slaves. we want to be with russia. >> they took the building in the early hours of saturday morning. this

serving breakfast, and they're asking for representatives from around the region to come here to donesk, and to declare a people's council. they want rather demand that the government in kiev give them autonomy, and they amend the referendum so they can choose whether to join moscow or not. ukraine's interior minister has come out and said this appears to be convert, conspiring, to stir up in the eastern ukraine, suggesting that provocateurs are across the border to help the pro russian sentiment. interestingly the poles say that the pro russian are falling in the region. indicating that while they may be falling, those who do still look to viktor yanukovych still very active. they're mobilized, and they are showesure their demands are beig heard. >> in south africa an emotional oscar pistorius taking the stand today. he said he thought he was protecting his girlfriend when he shot and killed her. >> i would like to apologize and say there hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that i haven't thought about your family. i wake up every morning, and you're the first people i thi

. >> reporter: ukrainian fighter jets over the city of donesk. it's a clear message that they control the skies. but down on the ground armed demonstrators don't seem to be listening. they have seen crimea breakaway from ukraine, and they want their region to follow. >> we've come into this building so kiev accepts our demands, the demands of the order people of the donetsk region. >> reporter: the seizure of the building may be dramatic, but they insist it's business as usual. civil servants are trying to get on with running the city. it's not clear how much public support for the people occupying these buildings. in donetsk the public opinion is split between europe and russia. the ukrainian army seems to have suffered a set back. after retaking control of an airstrip on tuesday the army has lost several armor vehicles, they paraded them through town with a pro-russian flag. another parade, and some enthusiastic spectators. there were claims that some ukrainian soldiers have switched sides. >> ukrainian military vehicles which were on the way t

all protesters here echoing donesk. they want the re referendum delivered, and they threaten boycott of election it is the referendums are not delivered first. >> they might get unqualified support back in kiev, the capitol, they were wrong? >> that's right. we're seeing today some saying that they are not acting fast enough to equal the tension in the east. and we see military moving in here. protesters say if the prime minister cannot back up his words with action, then he should resign. >> thank you. we mentioned that sergei lavrov said troubles in ukraine has nothing to do with us. >> that's absolutely right. it's only sunday that n.a.t.o. accused russia with direct involvement of what was going on in occupation in eastern ukraine. they said it was almost a copycat of crimea annexation with armed men taking over. sergei lavrov denied this emphatically. he said we have no agents troops or intelligence there. what the west doesn't understand is that the people of eastern ukraine, that is the russian-speaking people of

calling for referendum on independence in donesk. >>> president obama today formerly announced kathleensebelius' resigning and nomina nominated his choice to replace her as health and human services secretary sylvia burwell. >>> investigators are trying to determine what caused a fedex vehicle to veer across a median and crash into a bus full of students. ten people died in that crash including two chaperones who were recently engaged. >>> pope francis is asking for forgiveness for child abuse that has happened within the catholic church. the pope took personal responsibility for the priests who sexual abused children. >>> australia's prime minister said they're confident the signals from the indian ocean are from the missing malaysian plane's black boxes. i'm' tony harris, "real money with ali velshi" is next on al jazeera america. >> a brutal week in the stock market and wonder if a bigger pull back is underway. plus monday, power, look at the historically tight relationship between america's bankers and the president of the united states. and one of the largest retailers in the world

and in donesk, armed men have taken over police headquarters. >> this is the police station. usually for local officers now in the hands of pro russian activists. more than a dozen gunmen, many with professional grade weapons go in and out of the building. it's unclear how many more may be waiting inside. outside of the building hundreds gather. many here believe the interim government is illegitimate, not listening to the people's needs. >> our people want to live quietly, a peacefully without the junta. we don't want to be their slaves. we want to be with russia. >> this video shot from across the road shows them preparing to enter through a window. within hours they had fortified their positions. >> we just saw a truck of reinforcements arrived. you could see they're pulling out large tires to reinforce their barricade. people are arriving bringing supplies, food, handing them over to those who are very much in control of this building. >> reporter: just moments after being told a mob of protesters turned on us, attempting to take our camera gear. riot police are reportedl

we have more from donesk. >> reporter: exhausted minors return to the surface after a tragic shift. below ground a glass expose at a coal mine that kill nine of their completion, a real reminder of the risks of those trying to make a living. >> the quality of life is low here. it was the same with the last government and the government which is now in place. we don't recognize them, and we think they are going to make it worse. there will be no better life for us here. >> coal mine something one of the major industries here in the industrial heartland that is eastern ukraine. and it's regarded some of the most dangerous in the world. people have long complained. oh applications wrangle how to give more power to the region. >> i would like to state clearly that the central government is not only ready for dialogue in regions but ready to fulfill lawful requirements for all of our citizens in our country, and the framework of our constitution will be able to satisfy every single request from every region. >> reporter: federalization is not an option. still calling for a referendum for

. >> i think we need to be an autonomous part of russia because dnesk without ukraine is not donesk.> reporter: protesters were asked who they believe should come to help. standing outside of the state security building they say they want to support activists inside. activists releasing dozens of hostages are negotiating with police but believe its rush that that--its russia that needs to act. >> i understand we'll be trying to resolve these by ourselves, but we may fail. mr. putin, have mercy on your fighters. if you lose, you'll lose the last hope to create a good neighbor. >> the clock clearly ticking in the east for demonstrators prepared for any an eventualli eventuallity. >> testifying about ukraine in front of cross. the u.s. believes russia was responsible for the recent take over of government buildings in eastern ukraine. >> there are wild stories like in when the mob started forming it showed up to take over the opera house rather than it's inkennedied target intended to be. indicating that these were not boys from harkev, and they were not as well planned or executed as t

. >> protesters in donesk are calling for referendum on independence. >> a mob brutally attacked a detroit man who accidently hit a ten-year-old boy with his truck. >> a group of men surrounded and savagely beat him. >> the police in detroit are looking at race as a possible motive. >> scientists say an ancient piece of papyrus suggesting that jesus was married is real. >> the debate of the status of women in christian churches. >> several new acts ready to enter the rock-n-roll hall of fame. >> we're humbled, all of us, to stand up on this stage and do what we love doing. and do what we love to do. >> are there cracks in the ukrainian crisis? president obama keeps threatening harsher sanction he but the european union is concerned about hitting russia harder with their own are economic position. kevin ryan has served as an officer in europe, korea and iraq. currently the director of defense and intelligence projects at harvard's kennedy school of governance. good to have you back on the show. there's a rift between the sprem allied nato commander, he apparently wants the u.s. to do more m

ukrainian defense minister, gunmen on motorcycles firing between another checkpoint between here and donesksian group, and they are blaming it on special forces. so the fallout is that the ordinary ukrainians that we have been speaking to, and not the extremists, but the people who want dialogue with kiev say they are prepared to join the insurgency as a result of the attack yesterday. so if indeed russia is driving the insurgency as the latest new york times' photos would be with the goal the incite division, it is working. right now, richard, a lull right now with the three days into the truce, and however, no compliance by the radicals on either side to the demands of the geneva deal. back to u you, richard. >> thank you, jim maceda. and staying on ukraine, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing for the obama administration to is step up the sanctions on russia. >> we are going to continue the lose easter ukraine if we don't do something. >> the time is now to rapidly ratchet up the sanctions whether it is petro companies in russia or on banks. >> and congressman adam sheft is

we have our own nick payton walsh who is live in donesk, ukraine, where some of the violence is escalating. you've been there for weeks following this really from the beginning, is there any doubt that this campaign of violence is being orchestrated by russia? is there any doubt to that? the white house clearly is assigning blame. but do you see any doubt of that connection? >> reporter: it's hard to work out how this could be as well coordinated and organized if there wasn't some sort of state actor behind it, but on the ground you don't see any direct links to russia. the militants on the ground have been very well equipped and organized, they've known where to go and what to do, very aggressive in the main town a lot of focus of militant activity today, the security service building there and its weapons and the police station there, too, as well. a lot of locals coming to their help, erecting barricades and aggression to the journalists. and it seems as they want to call a referendum to join russia but as we heard from a witness who saw in a social media video intense gunfire later on

it happened after they opened fire on a truck, and we have jim neely live there in donesk, and this morning, ser gay lav rov accused them of violating the crucial geneva truce reached just last week. >> yes, that is true, tamron. the three-day truce called by the kiev government is holding, but today is the third day, and as you say, it is severely tested by the attack on the pro russian checkpoint saturday. and now the pro-russian separatists blame the right sector which is blaming the russian special forces, and perhaps the worst fallout of the alleged sunday violence and i have to say "alleged" because a lot of it and we saw it up close, a lot of it is very suspicious, and the fallout still is that ordinary ukrainians that we are speaking of are at the scene, and elsewhere in eastern ukraine, and not the extremists, but the people in the east who have wanted the dialogue of the kiev, at least some of them are prepared to join with the separatists as a result of the attacks. and if russia is driving the insurgency as suggested by kiev and the west and the goal is to incite division, it do

we have talked to our contacts in the ukrainian jewish community including donesk.e believe the leaflets are authentic, and they need to be condemned. certainly there is no sympathy for this approach. indeed, one of the things striking about the jewish community in ukraine is that it's a living jewish community. the jewish community is a vital part of the political life here, and i think i speak for many when i say that it's almost inconceivable that this kind of thing could be happening in the 21st century. especially ukraine which has seen so much anti-semitism. >> and this comes after trying to calm tensions in ukraine. the first face-to-face meeting between russia and the ukraine since the crisis began. the u.s. and european union were also there. we have this report from geneva. >> reporter: the summit in geneva was the first meeting aimed at resolving the crisis in ukraine. the meeting did produce an agreement, but one that seemed to lack critical specifics leaving its effectiveness in question. in a joint statement that followed a marathon six-hour meeting, t

and now we have a report from donesk. leyland?ll, there are still a number of buildings here including the regional parliament building where they are digging in and ready for a fight. today after vice president biden left, the president of ukraine announced the resumption of what he called anti-terrorist activities gaiagainst ut the separatists, and after that announcement, they said they are ready for a fight. visiting their stronghold yesterday, it appeared they are ready for a fight. tanks in the center of the streets of that town with the russian flags flying overhead, and russian flags at the main buildings there, and all of the men of the militia were going out with body armor and rpgs, and they are confident that they can take on the ukrainians if they come, and if they do come, the russian separatists might get help as putin showed his fangs again by conducting military drills by the ukrainian border which has some 5,000 troops there by the border. and president putin says he has the right to reserve to use force to prote

that is occupied inside by pro russian separatists though outside things are looking normal here in doneskn, that military development is happening an hour away, and the military, the ukrainian military have not yet engaged until today against the separatists or as they have seen building after building as you suggest in a dozen towns now, but today, the military seems to have launched what the government is calling a special operation helicopter, gunships, armored vehicles, and special operation forces, and these are moving against a group of armed militants who have occupied a military airport in an area that is one of the townscontrolled by the rebels. now eyewitnesses say that a ukrainian jet earlier, a jet fighter had tried to land at the military base, but was forced to the abort when it was fired upon by presumably pro russian separatist separatists and we now understand that, this is just running now, that the president says that his troops have retaken that airfield, but meanti meantime, these armed militia men have set up the check points around the area on major roads in the reg

in donesk, 1,000 activists rejected an amnesty offer. their refused's refusal raised fears the ukrainian government to the follow through on a threat to use force to clear the building. protesters say they would stop only if kiev agreed to hold a referendum on the status of the mostly russian-speaking area. hoda del amid is there >> reporter: despite repeated warnings, protesters here seem to be digging in throughout the day, they have been fortifieding their offensive positions behind the barricades. now there are piles of stones and they same they don't want a violent outcome to this stand-off, but they have to defend themselves. meanwhile, the local counsel issued a statement that sounds a bit as an offer of compromise. no statement, it calls on the government to make official that offer of amnesty by issuing a decree that amnesty should be for police forces and protesters. it also called on the government to call for a referendum, not on separation but rather on federalism. it also calls on the government to consider a bill that woul

in donesk. 80 ol',000 people were murdered in just one month. >> you might like me, don't like me butnderstand that me and you are going to live together. >> that's the new sentiment in the central african nation of rwanda. what's changed in the 20 years since one of the worst general sides in modern history? plus, 800 million registered voters heading to the polls in the largest election on the face of the earth. >> i am john henry smith. kentucky has youth on their side at tonight's ncaa championship game meet the huskie that gives his team bite. >>> welcome back to al jazeera america. these are our top stories. pro-russian demonstrators stormed government buildings in eastern ukraine demanding see session referendum. the acting president suggests they sparked an incursion into ukraine by foreign troops. the defense has opened up its case in the murder trial of oscar pistorius, the olympic star on the stand revealing details about the night he fatally shot his girlfriend. he says he thought she was an intruder. >>> a promising lead bringing new life to the month-old hunt for missing

russian government on this, with the understanding that things may -- that some of the people in doneskeir own. so, we'll have to see in the next couple of days what this really means. i think the russians understood when they signed something, they took on some responsibility for trying to end it. but it may not be that easy for them, and, of course, i think one has to allow for the fact that they've been pretty cynical about this kind of thing in the past and they could be doing that again. >> fair question, because i was going to ask you, is it your sense that moscow is trying to control them and cannot or that moscow is dragging its feet on complying with this deal? >> you know, as often in these situations, it's a little bit or i should say a lot of both. so, i think the russians have been about as cynical in their handling of ukraine as you can imagine. i mean, listening to the u.n. security council discussion a few nights ago and hearing the russian ambassador say things like they should get on the telephone, i mean, he knows better than that. so, i think they really handled this

on the heels of another similar siege, if you will, on a government building here in the city of donesk, that they want to declare an independent republican re public or have a referendum to break way the eastern part of the country from ukraine. they've barricaded themselves inside this building and so far have refused any offers from the ukrainian government to hand over the building and leave the premises. the ukrainian government says it wants to end the situation peacefully and not use violence or the use of force but it is creating more of a tension for the government in kiev that is still struggling. meanwhile, the russian government says it is prepared for talks involving the ukrainian government, eu and the u.s. later this week, scheduled to take place thursday. perhaps representatives from the eastern part of the country attend those talks. the states and european union say it is russia's actions that are creating this tension that is leading ukraine to face more crises like the ones we're facing here in donestk. erica? >> thank you. >>> his choice to be the next health and hu

separate at this e tests seized city administration and police and government buildings in 11 cities in donesk. every main juror city in has one occupation. this is not events of spontaneous events or homegrown but well orchestrated professional campaign of incitement, separate tim, sabotage of the ukrainian state. there is substantial evidence of involvement from russia is diverting attention from its own actions, its own territorial expansion, its own fear-mongering, by trying to change the subject. well it won't work. the contrasts between the actions of the ukrainian government and those of russian troops could not be starker. ukrainian security forces have responded more carefully and in more measured ways to provocations in the east than that would be difficult for any of us to accept in our own countries. the ukrainian government repeatedly sought to negotiate with armed groups that seized public buildings an established unauthorized roadblocks in eastern ukraine in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully through dialogue. ukrainian officials have offered amnesty. we appreciate th

reportedly armed pro-russian activists establish ad peoples republic of donesk taking control of a number of government cities in the region using violence including against law enforcement officials. russian protesters continue to occupy the local business of the security services and participants of a pro-ukrainian rally were attacked and beaten by pro-russian demonstrators who broke through police cordon, resulting in some 50 persons being injured. ongoing incidents and clashes between various groups of protesters as well as with security forces are of a serious concern. while the reports indicate that the number of protesters including some allegedly from outside of the region has not significantly increased and we are speaking of a couple of thousand, the level of violence and the proportion of armed protesters has. this has significant human rights implications. while protests related to human rights violations need to be urgently investigated and verified, security forces must play their role in maintaining public order in accord cans with human rights standard. there are clear lin