Russia warned Tuesday that any use of force in Ukraine's eastern region could lead to civil war, as Kiev seeks to regain control after pro-Moscow uprisings in three cities.Pro-Russian protesters seized government buildings in the cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv on Sunday. Rebels occupying Donetsk's regional government building Monday declared a"people's republic" and called for a referendum on secession from Ukraine to be held by May 11.There were conflicting reports over whether demonstrators who seized control of a Security Service of Ukraine building in Luhansk were holdinghostages.A security service anti-terrorism unit outside the building claimed the demonstrators are holding 60 people, Victoria Syumar, a security service spokeswoman, and Yarema Duh, spokesman for theNational Security and Defense Council, told CNN.But pro-Russian demonstrators holed up in the building denied they have taken anyone hostage, according to Reuters news reports.The security service also accused the demonstrators of placing explosive throughout the building, a claim the protesters denied, Reuters reported.Russia's Foreign Ministry said reports that the protesters are facing a crackdown by Ukrainian authorities are of particular concern."We are calling for the immediate cessation of any military preparations, which could lead to civil war," it said in a statement on its website.The ministry alleged that what it called "American experts from the private military organization Greystone," disguised as soldiers, as well as militants from the Ukrainian far-right group Right Sector, had joined Ukrainian forces preparing for thecrackdown in the country's east.Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Russian forces and special agents have been behind what he called the "chaos" in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours. Kerry described the developments as "more than deeply disturbing" and said they amounted to what could be a "contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea."
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