Armed men seize Crimea government HQ in Ukraine
- 10 years ago
Pro-Russian demonstrators in Ukraine's eastern region of Crimea clashed with police on Thursday.
It happened outside the regional parliament in the provincial capital, Simferopol.
The building was seized by armed men in the early hours of Thursday.
Witnesses said the men appeared to be ethnic Russian separatists.
A Russian flag was raised over the parliament, a direct challenge to Ukraine's new leaders in the capital Kiev.
Pro-Russian Crimeans protesting outside the building said they want a return to a 1994 constitution that claimed greater independence from Kiev.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEMONSTRATOR, NIKITA MIESHKOV, SAYING:
"I was born here and I can say that I am not necessarily Ukrainian, I am in fact a Crimean."
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEMONSTRATOR, LUDMILA MILODANOVA, SAYING:
"We cannot accept the authority in Kiev, we are a different people, you understand? And we are supporting our homeland. We want to either have the constitut
It happened outside the regional parliament in the provincial capital, Simferopol.
The building was seized by armed men in the early hours of Thursday.
Witnesses said the men appeared to be ethnic Russian separatists.
A Russian flag was raised over the parliament, a direct challenge to Ukraine's new leaders in the capital Kiev.
Pro-Russian Crimeans protesting outside the building said they want a return to a 1994 constitution that claimed greater independence from Kiev.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEMONSTRATOR, NIKITA MIESHKOV, SAYING:
"I was born here and I can say that I am not necessarily Ukrainian, I am in fact a Crimean."
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEMONSTRATOR, LUDMILA MILODANOVA, SAYING:
"We cannot accept the authority in Kiev, we are a different people, you understand? And we are supporting our homeland. We want to either have the constitut