Pro-Russians flex muscles in east Ukraine

Pro-Russian activists clash with police at the regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine

CROWDS of pro-Russian demonstrators stormed government buildings yesterday in several major cities in eastern Ukraine, where secessionist sentiment has sparked frequent protests since Ukraine's Russia-friendly president was ousted in February.

In Donetsk, 80km (50 miles) west of the Russian border, a large group of people, including many in masks carrying sticks and stones, surged into the provincial government building and smashed windows.