KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – Pro-federalization supporters have taken control of the city council in the Ukrainian town of Debaltsevo in Donetsk Region, local media reported Tuesday.
The building was taken peacefully by protesters, who did not face any resistance. Debaltsevo is home to the largest railway junction in the region, through which the majority of railroad transportation to Russia passes.
On Monday, the city council held a meeting and agreed to support a referendum on the status of the region, scheduled for May 11. Local authorities promised they would allocate a building as a polling place.
Last month, pro-federalization supporters took over Donetsk’s regional administration, declared an independent People’s Republic of Donetsk and scheduled a referendum on the status of the Donbas region for May 11.
Kiev’s current authorities launched a special operation to crack down on the protesters, leading to violent clashes in major towns of southeastern Ukraine and dozens of casualties. Last Friday, 46 protesters died and over 200 were injured in the port city of Odessa.
Moscow described Kiev’s decision to use military force against its own people as a dangerous move and has accused the country’s leadership of “criminal irresponsibility."
