Men in the uniforms of Ukraine's now-defunct riot police on Saturday occupied police headquarters in Donetsk, the eastern city that is one of the flashpoints of a wave of pro-Russia protests, hours after armed men seized local police headquarters in Slovyansk, a city about 90 kilometers (55 miles) away, AP reported. The unrest in Donetsk and Slovyansk were the latest shows of spiraling anger in eastern Ukraine, which has a large Russian-speaking population and was also the support base for Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president who was ousted in February after months of protests in the capital, Kiev. Ethnic Russians in Ukraine's east widely allege that the authorities who took over after Yanukovych's fall will suppress them. In Slovyansk, the mayor said the men who seized the police station were demanding a referendum on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia. Protesters in other eastern cities have made similar demands after a referendum in Crimea last month in which voters opted to split off from Ukraine, leading to annexation by Russia. A regional news website said another police station had been seized in the town of Krasniy Liman, a city near Slovyansk, but that report could not immediately be confirmed. -- SPA 19:05 LOCAL TIME 16:05 GMT تغريد
