Pro-Russian militants take over TV station in Ukraine's Donetsk
Scores of pro-Kremlin militants seized the regional television
station in Ukraine's eastern city of Donetsk on Sunday, an AFP journalist at
the scene said.
The insurgents, wearing camouflage uniforms and armed with
baseball bats and knives, occupied the interior of the building, preventing
anyone from entering.
Most wore a red armband bearing the name of the pro-Russian
group Oplot (Bastion).
They were not carrying visible firearms, but militants
carried several heavy bags inside the building and refused to answer reporters'
questions.
The insurgents covered the trident, Ukraine's national
symbol, adorning the entrance with a sticker bearing the name of the
self-proclaimed "Donetsk Republic."
"The journalists will be allowed to continue to work
but they will have to tell the truth," said one militant, who gave his
name as Stanislav.
"The Russian channels tell the truth. We demand to have
channels in Donetsk that tell the truth," he added.
The station headquarters will be guarded "day and
night," added the separatist.
Russian TV channels are banned in Ukraine, where the
authorities accuse them of spreading propaganda.
The station's chief later spoke to the several international
reporters gathered outside the building.
"Our channels have not yet changed," Oleg Djolos
said.
"Our journalists and staff are of course worried but
the men who have taken control of our station have pledged to guarantee our
safety," he added.
Nearby, six Ukrainian police officers, at least three of
whom were armed with Kalashnikov rifles, watched the events unfold without
intervening.
Asked about this, Djolos said: "You will have to ask
them. They are Ukrainian policemen."
The officers declined to comment to reporters.
"We will come to work at the normal time
tomorrow," the director said.
"We are a regional Ukrainian television station. We are
not a broadcasting centre. The decision to broadcast one channel or the other
is not taken at our level."
When pro-Russia protesters took control of the Crimean
peninsula last month, backed by Russian special forces, the TV stations were
swiftly occupied in similar operations.
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