DONETSK. May 30 (Interfax) - The building of the Donetsk region administration has been "emptied", the head of the Supreme Council of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic", Denis Pushilin, said at a press conference on Thursday.
"We will start a renovation in the Donetsk regional administration building. The Government House will be located there starting from today," he said.
The building will no longer have any residential premises, and looters who were detained today as a result of an operation carried out by the Vostol battalion will be put on trial, Pushilin said.
"No coup has happened in the Donetsk People's Republic today. All current officials will continue to hold their posts. There was a need to get rid of dishonest people who were engaged in criminal activities against the Donetsk republic," Pushilin said.
On Thursday, soldiers of the "Donetsk People's Republic's" Vostok battalion escorted 12 people, accused of looting, out of the regional administration building.
"All these people will go to trial because they were involved in looting in the Donetsk regional state administration building and they are also involved in robbing the Metro supermarket located near the Donetsk airport," Vostok soldiers told an Interfax correspondent.
"Yesterday, after the fight at the airport some people from the militia, who were in the Donetsk regional administration, robbed the Metro supermarket near the airport. We are investigating," militia representatives told Interfax earlier.
Local militiamen told Interfax earlier that food from the Metro supermarket was brought to the regional administration building on May 28.
As of now, barricades near the Donetsk regional state administration are being removed.
"We do not want this place to resemble [Kyiv's] Maidan. The building has turned into a dormitory. Litter is scattered everywhere. Barricades are standing. We want to clean up the area. At the same time, the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic remain at their posts. We are not going to change power," a Vostok battalion spokesman told Interfax.