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Fragile Ukraine Gov't Losing Control City by City

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Ukraine's fragile government is losing control of city after city as violent clashes continue to spread to other parts of the country.

For the first time since the crisis started last year, the country's third largest city of Odessa saw mass demonstrations for and against Russian intervention.

"Odessa has demonstrated yet again that this really is a Ukrainian city and that the citizens of Odessa can't be broken easily," pro-Ukraine demonstrator Dmytro Rogovskiy said.

Over the weekend, pro-Russian activists stormed the main police headquarters, freeing some 70 prisoners. The men walked out of their cells to a hero's welcome and people chanting, "Odessa is a Russian city."

Police, meanwhile, just stood and watched.

"There is no united Ukraine any more after what has happened here," pro-Russian activist Andrey Privalov said.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says Russia is trying to destroy his country.

"This is the part of the Russian road map: how to grab and to eliminate Ukraine," he charged.

The violence in Odessa comes as Ukraine struggles to regain control of several cities it has lost in the east to pro-Russian militants.

U.S Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt worries the situation in Odessa could be a tipping point.

"I think at this point the whole country is trying to figure out what happened, how to pull together and how to make sure that those who are trying to divide the country will not be successful," Pyatt said.

In Washington, D.C., and other Western capitals there are growing concerns Ukraine is inching closer to war.

"Putin has successfully dismembered the Ukraine by using special forces and intelligence agents to disrupt the Ukraine. I fear now that there will be a civil war," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said.

Graham and other lawmakers believe the limited sanctions put on Russia so far have done nothing to stop President Vladimir Putin's aggressive behavior.

"What I would do if I were the administration, I would sanction the energy economy of Russia, the banking system of Russia, and try to drive the Russian economy into the ground. And I would help arm the Ukrainian people," Graham said.

With thousands of Russian troops sitting on Ukraine's eastern border, some, including top Democrats, are calling on the Obama administration to show more international leadership on the crisis.

"The whole world looks to the United States, whether it's in Africa, whether it's in Ukraine, whether it's in Asia," Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said. "There's no substitute for the United States. And we -- my belief is that we need to be active and engaged."

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George
Thomas

Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and of Indian descent, CBN News’ Senior International Correspondent and Co-Anchor, George Thomas, has been traveling the globe for more than 20 years, finding the stories of people, conflicts, and issues that must be told. He has reported from more than 100 countries and has had a front-row seat to numerous global events of our day. George’s stories of faith, struggle, and hope combine the expertise of a seasoned journalist with the inspiration of a deep calling to tell the stories of the people behind the news. “I’ve always liked discovering & exploring new