Season May 2014

On International Workers Day, pro-Russia protesters marched through central Donetsk in eastern Ukraine calling for a referendum on the region's future. Some want to join Russia, while others to become a federal republic inside Ukraine — all want to separate from the interim government installed after the Euromaidan revolution. Around 3,000 protesters first gathered on Lenin Square before marching on to lay flowers at a WW1 memorial. The protesters chanted in support of the planned May 11th referendum and denounced the government in Kiev as a "fascist junta" while waving Stalin flags. The crowd wasn't entirely friendly, with one journalist, who was accused of being a "provocateur," was bundled into a car and driven away by protesters in body armor, his destination unknown.

On the morning of May 1, a pro-Russia militia guard post on the outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk was attacked by Ukrainian forces (reportedly Right Sector members) — taking 11 local militia men with them. Soon after, a crowd from Krasnoarmeysk gathered in front of a Right Sector base, where they tried to find out about their friends' fate. Having no luck, the crowd decided to return to Krasnoarmeysk, and storm the local police building, to show their protest towards police negligence. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

As the Ukrainian military launches an offensive on the rebel-held town of Sloviansk, members of the self-proclaimed state of Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) are continuing a campaign of government building takeovers. On Sunday, DPR protesters were able to take the military prosecutor's office and a local council building. VICE News followed the group as members burned the Ukrainian flag and arrested a suspected provocateur. The man was seen being bundled into a car while covered in blood, his destination unknown. DPR protesters headed to a government debt collection office on Monday and delivered an ultimatum to freeze the discovery of listed debts by PrivatBank — Ukraine's largest bank — in Donetsk. The bank has stopped operating in the Donetsk region, citing alleged intimidation of its staff. This has led to long lines outside branches as people desperately try to withdraw money.

On Tuesday morning the Ukrainian government announced it had ordered the halting of flights at Donetsk airport and the closure of the airspace across the region. The airport was almost completely empty, except for a few stranded travelers. Later in the day, VICE News visited a Ukrainian regional military college where pro-Russia rebels had set up a perimeter surrounding the entrance to the building, blocking the road of any traffic. A Donetsk People's Republic spokesperson said they heard that the Ukrainian ultra-nationalist group Right Sector was going to seize the academy and use it as a base. In a sign of increased escalation, the militia in Donetsk was well equipped with AK-47s, RPGs, and even anti-tank missile launchers.

In an effort to curb further unrest, the Ukrainian government canceled the majority of the victory day parades across the country. Commemorating the victory over Nazi Germany during WWII, victory day came at a convenient time for the pro-Russia rebels. Claiming they're fighting a fascist junta in Kiev, the Donetsk Peoples Republic used the symbolism of victory day to boost support for their independence referendum on Sunday. As the Donetsk city council organized an official celebration, a thousand few people gathered in the square listening to speeches with a heavy amount of soviet nostalgia. Halfway through, it was announced that there had been deadly clashes in Mariupol, a port city to the south. VICE News headed down there to investigate the clashes that proved to be another major escalation in the Ukrainian crisis.

On Friday, May 9, President Vladimir Putin of Russia visited Crimea for the first time after its annexation. He arrived at the Crimean port city Sevastopol during the Victory Day celebrations commemorating the triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive parade of Russian troops and veterans. The annual festivities quickly turned into a festival of Russian rule and a show of military power.

VICE News correspondent Henry Langston visited Donetsk to witness the ballot and ask people what they were voting for, but he and his crew quickly ran afoul of masked gunmen who were patrolling the station. They forced the crew inside the occupied administration building, where they were detained, searched, and interrogated for three hours before being allowed to leave. The experience offered some indication of what press freedom in the DPR would look like should it ever become independent.

With the Ukrainian army struggling to contain the grab for power by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the Donetsk Oblast, armed pro-Ukrainian militias have been quietly taking matters into their own hands. One of these groups, the Donbas Battalion, has been attacking DPR checkpoints and occupied buildings. After two weeks of careful negotiations they finally agreed for VICE News to visit their clandestine base in what used to be a children's summer camp in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. They were cautious about revealing their location as their last HQ was discovered and attacked by pro-Russia forces, forcing them to find an alternative.

Earlier this month, a number of pro-Russia checkpoints around the Donetsk region were taken by Ukrainian forces, in an attempt to encircle the city of Sloviansk, a stronghold for the pro-Russia insurgents. Here, VICE News reporter Simon Ostrovsky embeds at one of the checkpoints with the Ukrainian National Guard, a volunteer militia made up of people who were protesting at the Kiev Maidan just a few short, but eventful, months ago. Simon spent the night in the dark basement of a police station with some of the men, as heavy fire and fighting rumbled above them. Ukraine's presidential elections are scheduled for Sunday, but with this volatile situation in the east of the country, it's starting to look a lot more like a war.

The Ukrainian elections are Sunday, and there's still uncertainty that they will actually take place in eastern Ukraine. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky travels around the eastern part of the country to gauge the vibe before election day. He interviews Ukraine's Interim President Oleksandr Turchynov about plans to make sure everything goes smoothly in Donetsk and Luhansk — areas which have a heavy presence of pro-Russia forces. He then visits a polling station in Donetsk where nearby a Ukrainian checkpoint was attacked a few hours earlier resulting in at least 11 deaths, and meets up with the Donbas Battalion, who are working to ensure that everyone will be able to participate in the elections. Despite the measures that are being taken by Ukrainian troops and officials, it's still unclear what tomorrow will bring.

Almost 6 months after the Euromaidan revolution that toppled former president Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainians went to the polls to elect a new president in the midst of an anti-terror operation to wrestle Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts back under Kiev's control. On Sunday morning as voting started across the country, Donetsk itself saw no voting take place so VICE News headed out to Krasnoarmiisk where voting was able to take place, under the watchful eye of local loyal-to-Kiev police and another paramilitary force, the Dinipro Battalion. Back in Donetsk, supporters of the DPR held a rally in the square, denouncing the election and the other DPR bugbears, NATO, the Kiev 'junta' and the US. Despite the threats, the election did take place in a few towns across the region and the fact that it took place at all seemingly threatens the advertised control of the region by the DPR.

Ukraine went to the polls this weekend to choose a new president, but pro-Russia separatists in the east did everything they could to stop voters from taking part. The stakes are especially high because while the rebels deem the interim government illegal, the Ukrainian authorities are desperate to see a strong people's mandate bestowed on a new leader who is able to quell the rebellion. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky visited a polling station in Donetsk that was actually running, as people cast their votes and the fate of the country was decided. Pro-European businessman and "chocolate king" Petro Poroshenko was later declared the election winner. Poroshenko said that his first goal in office would be to resolve the crisis in eastern Ukraine, which so far is not showing any sign of ending.

Early Monday morning, gunmen of the Donetsk Peoples Republic arrived at the airport and took over the terminal building, prompting the Ukrainian military based there to issue an ultimatum to the rebels to lay down their weapons and leave. A massive firefight broke out which both fighter jets and attack helicopters were used by the Ukrainian military. The sound of gunfire and explosions filled the air as rebels and journalists ducked for cover along the access road to the airport terminal. VICE News found a small unit of DPR gunmen among the trees along the access road who had pulled back from their earlier positions closer to the airport. Gunfire seemed to follow them as shots hit the wall on the other side of the road and one of their wounded fighters, who had been shot in the upper thigh was evacuated in a civilian car. The gunfire intensified and the unit was forced to withdraw.

The standoff between pro-Russia forces and Ukrainian troops continues on the outskirts of the rebel stronghold of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine. But with heavier fighting escalating over the last few days, many residents are braving checkpoints and gunfire to flee the area for safer parts of the country. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky traveled to a checkpoint bordering Sloviansk and spoke to people leaving their homes behind as shots rang out in the background. None of these residents knows when they'll be able to return.