ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Pro-Russian demonstrators occupied the regional government building in east Ukraine's city of Donetsk on Monday (March 3), trying to push lawmakers to vote for a referendum that would declare the region sovereign.

The chaotic scene in the heart of Ukraine's Russian-speaking east was one of the boldest actions yet by pro-Russian youths after several days of rallies in eastern and southern cities that Kiev says are organized by Moscow as a pretext to invade.

The protesters stormed the building and reached the second floor where the regional council sits. Chanting "Russia!", hundreds of demonstrators managed to enter the building through a side door after getting through police lines outside.

Barricaded inside the building, the local lawmakers voted 98-3 in favor of a declaration that pledged "support for the popular initiatives of the residents of the Donetsk region, put forward at demonstrations," according to the text of the res