DONETSK. April 16 (Interfax) - Seven unknown armed individuals wearing masks seized the building of the Donetsk city council on Wednesday morning.
The seizure occurred on Wednesday morning following a meeting between Donetsk mayor Oleksandr Lukyanchenko and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission representatives, the Interfax correspondent reported.
No shots were fired, individuals entered the building without resistance - they asked everyone, who was in the city council, to leave and are taking documents out of offices now. Reporters were banned from filming this.
Armed people said no threat existed for employees and proposed everyone stay at their work places, the Donetsk portal OstroV reported citing a city council employee.
Negotiations are currently being held with these people in order to find out their demands and resolve the situation. Armed people are currently on the ground floor and in the stairs.
Armed individuals have bands with the Oplot inscription on their sleeves and, at first, there were about five of them, however the number grew later, the KYD website reported.
According to the information by KYD, despite the evacuation, city council employees can enter and exit the building freely. "The building is not surrounded but armed people wearing masks stand at corners," it said.