Ukraine Police Exchange Gunfire with Pro-Russian Activists Today
LEMON: More on Flight 370 in just a moment but first we continue to follow the new developments in the crisis in Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov tonight about the escalating violence in the eastern part of Ukraine. Kerry says he expressed strong concern that attacks today by armed militants in eastern Ukraine were orchestrated and synchronized similar to previous attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Kerry also threatened additional consequences if Russia did not take steps to de-escalate the situation. The White House responded earlier to the reports of violence by announcing it's sending Vice President Joe Biden there on April 22nd. Here's a reason for that reaction from the White House. In Kramatorsk, Ukraine police exchanged gunfire with pro-Russian activists today. About 20 men wearing matching -- military fatigues, excuse me, took control of the city's police headquarters. And just about 70 miles away gunmen stormed two buildings including one belonging to police. Three officers were hurt. Nick Paton Walsh is in Ukraine where the violence is definitely escalating.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, a troubling escalation here in the last 24 hours. We've been traveling around Donetsk to see what's happening in these towns where gunmen, pro- Russian militants have been springing up almost overnight. Once in Sloviansk, they've taken the police station and the local security services building as well. Very well equipped and armed men. Often in matching camouflage uniforms getting some help from locals who give them food and pull up barricades. Also aggressive towards many Western journalists, too. Another town, Kramatorsk, we went there to find protests had taken down the Ukrainian flag from the center of that particular town and put up Donetsk separatist one instead. Calm relations with the police who seem to be able to coexist with them but merge later on in the day, reports of gunfire, the Interior Ministry claiming that in fact pro-Russian militia had exchanged fire with Ukrainian police there as well. So deep concerns now we seem to be seeing weapons more readily involved in the standoff here in Donetsk many are worried, too, because protesters forced the resignation of the local police chief just today. Many concerned, too, about the final response we might see from Kiev where the central government is struggling to work out what to do and we're not seeing many police here really coming out to stop these pro-Russian militants -- Don.</s>LEMON: All right, Nic, thank you very much. Malaysia hasn't impressed many people with its handling of this investigation. If the black boxes are recovered, will we trust them to uncover the secret of what happened to Flight 370?