Ukraine PM appeals for unity after Odessa tragedy

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45. Ukraine crisis: Far from the fractious east, unwilling Odessa plunged into violence after deadly bla

A mob has attacked a police station in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, forcing the release of dozens of pro-Russian activists arrested after more than 40 died in violent clashes that have pushed the country closer to civil war.

Chanting “Odessa is a Russian City” and “Russians won’t abandon their own”, a crowd estimated by one eyewitness at 2,000 broke through a gate into an inner court yard of the police station and smashed windows. The Interior Ministry said a total of 67 prisoners were released.

They were among about 170 people detained on Friday after running street battles broke out between pro-Kiev football fans and supporters of Moscow. More than 40 people were killed – most in a building fire – in what has been described as the “Odessa Massacre”.

While there has been unrest in eastern parts of the country since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, Odessa is near the country’s western border with Moldova.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-far-from-the-fractious-east-unwilling-odessa-plunged-into-violence-after-deadly-blaze-9321796.html