How have pro-Russian militants taken over city halls and police stations across eastern Ukraine with such surprising ease? Ukrainian journalist Valentyn Chernyavsky decided to test that question in his hometown, the provincial capital of Cherkasy, about 125 miles south of Kyiv. He donned the uniform of a Russian separatist militant, grabbed a (fake but realistic) AK-47 assault rifle and got a friend to drive him downtown to explore his chances of seizing power.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
Atlantic Council: Here’s why gunmen took over so easily in Ukraine
Pro-Russian activists cover their faces as they stand guard outside a regional television station after it was seized by pro-Russian separatists, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 27, 2014. The telecentre is the home of the local telecommunication antennas and studios of the regional TV station Channel 27. US President Barack Obama today said new international sanctions set to come into force against Russia would send a message that it must stop its \"provocations\" in eastern Ukraine. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER KHUDOTEPLY
