Eastern Ukraine rises against Kiev

The identities of 38 of the 46 people killed in the mass clashes in Odessa on May 2 have been established, a police spokesman told Interfaks-Ukraina.

Several missing-persons reports have also been filed. Two of the people on the list have since been declared dead.

Another American military ship will soon arrive for deployment at the Black Sea as the Ukrainian crisis continue, Derek Chollet, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs told the House Armed Services Committee. Chollet also stated that USS Truxtun’s stay in the Black Sea will be extended, “to conduct exercises with Romanian and Bulgarian naval forces.”

Headlines in Bulgaria circulate reports emerging from the Bulgarian Defense ministry, that a missile cruiser USS Donald Cook is soon to arrive to the Black Sea to join the war games.

The Ukrainian Parliament has allowed charitable contributions by individuals and entities to fund the army. The bill was approved by 231 MP votes out of 226 required.

Under the new law, the Cabinet of Ministers shall determine the manner of financing of the armed forces through charitable contributions, which will be used to provide combat and mobilization readiness. Currently, state budget is the only legal means to finance the Ukrainian armed forces.

Unknown attackers have attempted to seize the building of Donetsk regional state radio and television company, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry press service reported, as cited by Interfax Ukraine. The group of people drove up to the building in a car, and shot into the air a few times. Interior Ministry workers who were on guard in the TV center’s grounds responded with shots, and the attackers left the scene.

The German government is "very worried" about events at the weekend in eastern Ukraine, which included the seizure of state buildings by pro-Russian protesters, a spokesman said on Monday.

"The latest developments in Donetsk and in Kharkov are something which we are all very worried about in the German government," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert. "We must urgently renew our appeal to all those in positions of responsibility to help stabilize the region and avoid such escalation." (Reuters)

Protesters in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk have seized the regional department building of Ukraine’s Security Service, local media reported, as cited by ITAR-TASS.

“The people’s militia seized Ukraine’s Security Service in 15 minutes, at 3:32 in the morning,” the activists told the website of the Ukrainian Vesti newspaper.

Currently, the perimeter of the building is being blocked to ensure protection from security forces.

UDAR party leader Vitaly Klitschko wants the Ukrainian government to tackle the protests taking place in the eastern part of the country. The best police forces should be working in the region to avoid the breakup of the country and disturbances of the presidential elections, Klitschko said, as quoted by the party's press service.

The Lugansk prosecutor’s office has opened up a criminal investigation into the Sunday protests. Up to eight people were injured as demonstrators stormed the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) office, Ukraine’s Channel 5 reported.

Pro-Russian protests in Lugansk, Donetsk, and Kharkov are all attempts by foreigners to disrupt Ukraine’s presidential elections, presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko told a Ukrainian radio station.

All that was left of the signage on the Crimean parliament in Simferopol on Tuesday was pile of white-golden metal letters after it was removed from the facade of the Supreme Council building, Ruptly news agency reports.

The parliament, or Supreme Council, of Crimea declared the Autonomous Republic an independent state and renamed itself into The State Council of the Republic of Crimea on Monday.