Police cordon off Crimean parliament, acting interior minister says
Avakov says police cordoned off the area to prevent bloodshed among civilians and counter extremist actions.
Security forces have cordoned off the area surrounding the regional parliament in Simferopol, capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, following the seizure of the building by unidentified armed men, acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Thursday.
"At dawn, a group of unknown men armed with automatic weapons and machine guns captured the building of the Crimean parliament in Simferopol. Interior Ministry Troops and the police have been put on alert," Avakov wrote on his Facebook page.
He said the cordon aims to prevent bloodshed among civilians and counter the development of extremist actions.
Unidentified armed men seized the parliament and regional government buildings early Thursday morning.
A protester, who identified himself as "Maxim Danchenko" and claimed to be speaking on behalf of the occupants, told press members that they have demanded a referendum on Crimea's future within Ukraine.
On Wednesday, one person died from a heart attack and 26 others were injured in a clash between pro- and anti-Russian protesters outside the Crimean parliament. The local government canceled a scheduled debate about the peninsula's future with Ukraine.
The political situation in Crimea has been uncertain since Ukraine was hit by large-scale protests that led to the end of the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych's policy to move the country closer to Russia was met with widespread opposition in November last year after he scrapped a major trade and association deal with the European Union.
