You're reading: Separatists confirm Ukrainian security forces take control of Mariupol City Council

Moscow - The so-called self-defense forces in Mariupol, a city in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, have confirmed earlier reports that Ukrainian security forces have taken control of the City Council building.

“People in black camouflaged uniforms took control of the City Council building in the morning, and no shots were heard. All militiamen were forced out of the building,” a separatist source said in a telephone interview with Interfax.

After security forces took the City Council under control, bulldozers started dismantling barricades on the central square, he said.

Separatists also claimed that local law enforcement agencies detained 11 people campaigning for a referendum on the region’s status. Interfax so far does not possess information confirming this.

Channel Five television had reported earlier in the day that “Mariupol voluntary people’s guards” had taken control of the City Council building in the early hours of Wednesday, May 7.

Dozens of tires were burned in the city center and sporadic shooting was heard in different parts of the city all night, Channel Five said.

Demonstrators who earlier seized the City Council building also blocked some central streets to traffic. In particular, the central street, Lenin Avenue, was blocked by vehicles on both sides, and then tires and an electric bus were set on fire. As of Wednesday morning, the central part of the city was reopened to traffic.