Ukrainian authorities appear to have lost control of law and order in Donetsk, the capital city of the province at the heart of separatist unrest, as violent pro-Russia militants roam the streets unchallenged.

随着亲俄武装分子不费力气地占领了顿涅茨克市的街头，乌克兰当局似乎已对这一动荡地区的局势失去了控制。顿涅茨克市是乌克兰东部顿涅茨克州的首府，正处于一场分裂活动的风暴中心。

On Monday evening men carrying sticks and bats set upon a pro-unity demonstration of men, women and children waving Ukrainian flags in a central square. The demonstrators were ostensibly protected by 450 police and interior ministry forces, riot shields at the ready and positioned at the front and side of the square.

周一晚上，多名男子提着木棒和棒球棒袭击了一群正举行支持乌克兰统一示威活动的人群。这一示威活动在一个中央广场举行，参与的男女老少都举着乌克兰国旗。看上去有450名警察和内政部执法人员为活动提供安保，他们准备了防暴盾牌，分布在广场的前方和两侧。

However, the force did little to intervene when men lunged from behind, armed with clubs and Molotov cocktails. They bludgeoned several people, mostly old men unable to outrun them. As blood was spilt and people cried for help, most of the police stood by.

然而，当一些手持棍棒和燃烧瓶的人从后部发起攻击时，这些执法人员基本没起到什么作用。数人被袭击，主要是跑得较慢的老人。然而在鲜血四溅，人们大声寻求帮助之际，多数警察只是在旁袖手旁观。

Novosti Donbassa, a news website, published a photograph of the attackers picking up police shields for their own use, as a policeman turned his back. Afterwards about 1,000 of the pro-Russia militants marched along a main street, banging sticks and shields as bystanders fled down side streets, in a scene reminiscent of the film “Gangs of New York”.

新闻网站Novosti Donbassa发表的一张照片中，袭击者捡起警方的盾牌自己使用，而一位警察则转身背对着他。随后，约1000名亲俄武装分子沿着该市一个主要街道行进，挥舞着木棒和盾牌，旁观者则四散奔逃，这一幕就像是电影《纽约黑帮》(Gangs of New York)的场景再现。

Eastern Ukraine’s law enforcement authorities are demoralised, underpaid, and apparently largely pro-Russia. They are at the focus of the battle for the region’s future, as pro-unity officials struggle to stifle a widening secessionist challenge from militants whom they say are aided by Moscow.

在乌克兰东部，支持统一的官员处境艰难，他们正在努力遏制激进分子不断加剧的分裂活动。与此同时，执法部门士气低落，薪资无法足额发放，而他们大多数人似乎都持有亲俄立场。

On Tuesday hundreds of pro-Russia militants broke into a government building in Lugansk, capital of the easternmost province of the same name, and were filmed calling on police who were loosely guarding the building to “give up your arms”. The police then marched away, and the militants got to work piling sandbags to barricade the building.

周二，数百名亲俄武装分子冲进乌克兰东部省份卢甘斯克(Lugansk)首府卢甘斯克的政府大楼。有视频显示这些人呼吁正在守护该大楼的警察“放下武器”。这些警察随后离开了现场，武装分子开始堆砌沙袋，为大楼设置障碍。

Pro-Kiev authorities believe the hard-core separatists who occupy public buildings in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions number no more than 5,000 out of a population of 7m people. However, they worry that weak law enforcement is allowing the region to spiral into chaos and fall into Russian control, without any need for a Russian military invasion.

亲乌当局相信，占据顿涅茨克和卢甘斯克等地区大楼的顽固分裂派总数不到5000人，相比之下这些地区的人口为700万。不过他们担心，软弱的执法力度会令该地区陷入混乱，并导致俄罗斯能够不出一兵一卒的情况下控制这一地区。

Serguei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, said on Tuesday that additional troops deployed to the border for exercises last week – seen as a show of strength against Kiev – had been pulled backed to their bases.

俄罗斯国防部长谢尔盖•绍伊古(Serguei Shoigu)周二表示，上周派往边境演习的多余部队目前已撤回基地。俄罗斯这一演习曾被视为针对乌克兰的一次力量展示。

Donetsk is an attractive city of 1m with wide boulevards, many cafes, and a central European feel. Until now it has largely been in control of government authorities, unlike the de facto separatist capital Slavyansk which has become a no-go zone for Kiev authorities. Militants there are holding hostage seven European military observers and many more pro-unity Ukrainians.

到目前为止顿涅茨克仍大致处于乌克兰当局的控制之下。而斯拉维扬斯克地区(Slavyansk)则已成为分裂分子事实上的“首都”，他们至今仍然将7名欧洲军事观察员及更多支持统一的乌克兰人作为人质，扣押在斯拉维扬斯克。

In Donetsk, six people at Monday’s pro-unity march, some but not all of them said to be “ultra” fans of Shakhtar Donetsk football club who were providing security, were taken hostage by militants on the front line of the protest.

周一在顿涅茨克举行的支持统一的游行中，6名站在队伍前列的抗议者被分裂分子扣为人质，但周二被释放。

Later, a group of five police officers, led by a captain named Zhenya, chatted and laughed as they guarded the separatist-occupied headquarters of the Party of Regions. Some of the hostages are thought to have been held there overnight.

乌克兰内政部呼吁普通市民参加街道联防团队，以“在境外组织的分裂主义恐怖分子发动袭击”时保护公共秩序，这一表态似乎显示出政府对控制局面深感无力。

They were freed early on Tuesday.

乌克兰代总统亚历山大•图尔奇诺夫(Oleksandr Turchynov)周二谴责警方“低效而毫无成效”。他补充说：“乌克兰东部局势进展显示出我们执法机构的不作为和无助，他们甚至有时候会公然采取违法的背叛行为。”

“Formally, this is the territory of Kiev,” one of the policemen said, when asked whose authority his force was upholding. “But, as you can see, that’s the flag of the Donetsk Republic and the flag of Russia”, he said, pointing to the occupied building. “It seems people are welcoming what’s happening here.”