ERR in Donetsk: 'No Ukrainian Military to Be Seen'
ERR correspondent Astrid Kannel, currently in Donetsk, says the mood and developments in the eastern Ukrainian city are similar to the stuation she witnessed before the referendum in Crimea last month.
"On the spot, it's become evident that the majority of people are very cross at Kyiv for various reasons and you could say that Donetsk, for one, is a completely pro-Russian city. It's hard to come here to take something back, if there's no support for taking it back," Kannel said on ETV.
"I haven't seen any action from the Ukraine side here in the course of today. What I have seen is how the provisional government in Donetsk is calmly negotiating and making plans for how to seize power in smaller villages and towns."
She said it was similar to what she saw in Crimea. "Everything is calm and business as usual and power is transferred in completely ordinary conditions. I haven't seen a single Ukrainian soldier."
Kannel she saw only one Ukrainian flag around town - painted on a nursery school wall. "The pro-Russians have their own flag that symbolizes the Republic of Donetsk, plus Russian flags and Soviet flags. You also see posters that say hands off, America and EU."
"I also attended a miners' demonstration that was extremely emotional. Solely the fact that I, an Estonian, was there prompted some people's emotions to brim over and I got to hear several times that a provocateur had come to the meeting. Emotions ran very high and there was practically no support for Kyiv among those on the street," said Kannel.