PRO-RUSSIA DEMONSTRATORS HOLD RALLIES IN EASTERN UKRAINE
Kiev, 30 Jumadil Awwal 1435/31 March 2014 (MINA) – Eastern Ukraine has witnessed more pro-Russia rallies, with people taking into streets in three major cities shouting anti-government slogans.
The demonstrations have been held in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Lugansk, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Sunday evening.
The ralliers called for a union between southeastern regions in order to confront what they call coup leaders in the capital Kiev. The protesters also urged the immediate release of political prisoners.
In recent weeks, pro-Russia rallies have been held nearly on a daily basis in eastern Ukrainian cities.
On February 23, the Ukrainian parliament ousted president Viktor Yanukovych and named Oleksandr Turchynov, the legislature’s newly-elected speaker, as interim president.
The ouster followed weeks of unrest that was triggered after Yanukovych refrained from signing the Association Agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia in November 2013.
The protesters demanded a referendum to allow them to determine their own future.
Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, in which nearly 97 percent of voters in Crimea said yes to reunion with Russia.
On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law documents that officially made the Black Sea peninsula part of the Russian territory. (T/E01/IR)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
