Terrorists seize scores of hostages in Horlivka

Militants hold people in the seized police station.

Member of the city council Volodymyr Rybak said on air of Radio Vesti hostages had been taken at the police station.

“They are real armed terrorists,” he said. “Hostages have been seized, around 30 or 40 people, I think. Some are locked in the cellar, some are locked in rooms. They [the terrorists] took away their mobile phone and don't allow to provide help.”

Some people were injured during the attack, according to Rybak. He added the ground floor of the building was burning. Some people used fire escape ladders to leave the building and take away weapons, but a part of weapons was seized.

“They demand that the police officers swear allegiance to the Donetsk Republic and remove the Ukrainian flag and want the police chief to retire. The policemen refused to do it. They think the seizure was conducted not by ordinary people, but by a group 90% of which consists of criminals,” Rybak said.

About 150 separatists seized the police station in the town of Horlivka (the Donetsk region) today. They blocked Lenin Avenue, TSN reports. They were attacking the building for more than an hour, while the policemen were defending. They entered the building and began to crush furniture and equipment.

On April 12, Russian militants and terrorists seized administration buildings in Slavyansk (the Donetsk region). They continue their actions in other towns of the region on Sunday. The regional security council in Luhansk and the administration building in Donetsk have been under control of the separatists since April 6.

The National Security and Defence Council took a decision yesterday to launch a large-scale anti-terror operation in the east of the country. The statement was made by speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and interim president of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov. He noted the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council made a decision to use the armed forced in the anti-terror operation in eastern Ukraine.