Pro-Russian activists rallied in the eastern heartland of Ukraine's ousted leader today after Moscow threatened to cut off gas to its ex-Soviet neighbour following its tilt toward the West.
Rallies in industrial cities that rely on Russia for trade and whose cultural roots lie closer to Moscow than Kiev come as Kremlin-backed troops tighten their grip on the flash point peninsula of Crimea.
The predominantly Russian-speaking southern and eastern swathes of Ukraine have been in upheaval since three months of deadly protests brought new pro-European leaders to power in Kiev whom they view with disdain and mistrust.
The Kremlin says the new rulers have fomented a lawless atmosphere of intimidation against ethnic Russians that President Vladimir Putin says prompted him to threaten to use force in Ukraine -- a shock decision that has sparked the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.
Now activists who have set up a round-the-clock picket on Donetsk's central Lenin Square under a red Soviet flag with the golden hammer and sickle are calling for a secession referendum just like the one planned in Crimea on March 16.
"Only Russia can help us so that our rights are not dragged through the mud!" said one protester named Natalia who works at a local beauty salon in the eastern city.
"There needs to be a referendum," she said.
Similar protests have hit nearby Russian-speaking cities such as Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
The imposing Donetsk city administration building has flown both Russian and Ukrainian flags after being repeatedly raided in the past week by irate protesters from both sides. The city was the regional stronghold of deposed president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia late last month.
Russia says it has stepped up protection of its Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea and is working together with local self-defence militias but refuses to acknowledge it has deployed extra troops to the peninsula.
Ukrainian border guard general Mykola Kovil said yesterday there were now 30,000 Russian troops in Crimea -- higher than the 25,000 allowed under an existing agreement with Ukraine.
