Season April 2014

Ukraine's ultra-nationalist Right Sector movement has been extremely active during the Euromaidan protests, but Kiev is now moving to disarm the group. On Monday, one Right Sector member instigated a shootout outside a restaurant. Three people were injured, including a city official. In response, riot police surrounded the Dnipro Hotel, which the group was using as their headquarters. The group was forced to vacate the building without their weapons and move to a base outside Kiev. Simon Ostrovsky of VICE News was there as events unfolded.

On April 7, the people of Donetsk declared themselves an independent republic and called for a Crimea-style referendum by May 11th. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky was there as people stormed the regional administration building and demanded to join Russia.

On the second day of the self-styled People's Republic of Donetsk's existence, people gathered in the Regional Administration Building to discuss their new government and make plans for the future. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky attended the meeting where things got a bit heated, and later interviewed Serhiy Taruta, the current governor of the Donetsk region. Taruta argued that those who declared independence from Ukraine have no authority to do so and are not supported by most residents of Donetsk. There's still about a month left before their supposed referendum, and the future of Donetsk is uncertain.

Pro-Russian protestors in Luhansk, the most Eastern city in Ukraine, took over the headquarters of the state security services on April 9. Armed with guns they found in the building, the demonstrators were determined not to leave. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky visited the occupied building, which despite the occupation, was surprisingly calm. But not everyone in Luhansk wants to join Russia -- and some who express that sentiment are suffering dire consequences. We spoke to one resident who said he was severely beaten for siding with Ukraine, and another who is determined to leave the area if Luhansk becomes Russian. Amid calls for parts of Ukraine to join Russia, the tension and unrest across the country is spreading — and it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict what will happen next.

Last week, pro-Russia forces took over the police headquarters in Slovyansk, a city in Eastern Ukraine, marking the latest expansion of the self-proclaimed "People's Republic of Donetsk." VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky rushed to the scene to verify whether or not Russian Special Forces had taken over the building, as was rumored, but found that it appeared to be the work of locals. As the situation escalates in Eastern Ukraine, a pattern has emerged in which buildings are stormed and occupied at night, while crowds gather outside during the day to prevent anyone from getting through. The situation in Slovyansk is different because the whole city seems to be guarded by pro-Russia forces. Which city will be next?

On Monday, pro-Russia protesters stormed a police station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Horlivka. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky was there as they seized the building. Inside, the demonstrators attacked a police officer accused of pushing someone out of a window while the person was trying to display a Russian flag. Later that day, a video emerged on the internet showing a man purporting to be a Russian army colonel giving orders to troops in eastern Ukraine. This is the first bit of evidence that there might already be Russian boots on the ground in the country.

This week, the Ukrainian military launched an anti-terrorist operation to quell the pro-Russia violence and unrest that has swept eastern Ukraine. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky interviewed troops deployed in the operation at the border between Kharkiv and Donetsk, and then traveled to Kramatorsk, where pro-Russia protesters were attempting to take over an airfield. When Simon arrived, it seemed that the airfield was still under Ukrainian control, but the pro-Russia protesters were outside preparing to seize it. Once the head of the anti-terror operation appeared outside the base, the commander was accosted by the protesters until he retreated back inside — so much for his anti-terror operation.

Last week, Ukraine launched an anti-terror campaign to recapture the cities being occupied by pro-Russia protesters. So far, the campaign hasn't been going so well. On April 16, the second day of the campaign, Ukrainian military moving into Sloviansk — the focal point of the pro-Russia forces — and gave up their equipment. The armory was brought to the center of town where it has become a local amusement. Elsewhere, crowds of pro-Russia protesters stopped a column of Ukrainian troops in Kramatorsk and made them disarm. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky was on the scene as Ukrainian forces disarmed their weapons and vehicles.

Before VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky was detained on April 21 and held by pro-Russia separatists in Sloviansk, he filed this dispatch featuring an interview with his future captor, the city's self-appointed "people's mayor," Vyacheslav Ponomarev. Simon was released on Thursday. Simon went to Sloviansk to investigate reports of a shooting at a checkpoint outside of the city on Easter Sunday. At least three people were reportedly killed in the incident. Pro-Russia forces and Russian media outlets quickly blamed the Ukrainian nationalist group Right Sector for the assault. After interviewing local Ukrainian police, who couldn't confirm the number of deaths, Simon attended a briefing where he questioned Ponomarev directly about the alleged shooting.

Just an hour before he was kidnapped by pro-Russia forces, VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky interviewed two Russian Cossacks in Kramatorsk. One of the men showed Simon his Russian passport, which was the first confirmation VICE News has seen of Russians working with the separatists in Eastern Ukraine.

VICE News reporter Simon Ostrovsky tells the full story of his abduction and captivity in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russia forces. On Monday April 21st, VICE News reporters Simon Ostrovsky and Freddie Paxton were stopped at a checkpoint by armed pro-Russia forces loyal to the self-proclaimed mayor of Sloviansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev. They were pulled from their car, along with three other journalists they were traveling with. After a thorough search and questioning, Paxton and the three other journalists were released. Ostrovsky was held in a basement cell where he was blindfolded, beaten, and accused of being a spy. For days, his whereabouts were unknown, which sparked a furor among journalists in the region and people from around the world who have been following his work. On Thursday, April 24 Simon was suddenly released onto the streets of Sloviansk with little explanation.