Masked protesters had been ringing the city hall in
Mariupol
The Ukrainian government says it has
regained control of the city hall in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, from pro-Russian
separatists.
Several people are said to have been hurt during the overnight operation in the city, where three pro-Russian protesters were recently shot dead.
Reports are coming in of a Ukrainian army operation outside the separatist stronghold of Sloviansk.
Separatists are occupying key buildings in at least a dozen eastern towns.
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The body of Volodymyr Rybak lay in an open coffin in the yard of his
house.
Friends and relatives of the murdered town councillor stood nearby listening to an Orthodox Christian priest chanting prayers.
Mr Rybak had been a vocal critic of pro-Russia separatists and a firm supporter of a united Ukraine. It was his abduction and murder which prompted Kiev this week to resume military operations against armed separatists in the east of the country.
The atmosphere here in Horlivka is not only one of shock, but deep pessimism. When he arrived at the funeral service, an official from the local town council told me he feared "something terrible would happen" to Ukraine in the next three weeks.
At the scene
Friends and relatives of the murdered town councillor stood nearby listening to an Orthodox Christian priest chanting prayers.
Mr Rybak had been a vocal critic of pro-Russia separatists and a firm supporter of a united Ukraine. It was his abduction and murder which prompted Kiev this week to resume military operations against armed separatists in the east of the country.
The atmosphere here in Horlivka is not only one of shock, but deep pessimism. When he arrived at the funeral service, an official from the local town council told me he feared "something terrible would happen" to Ukraine in the next three weeks.
In another development, the funeral is taking place of a
pro-Ukrainian politician, Volodymyr Rybak, who was abducted and killed in the
Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has accused Russia of flouting a deal on Ukraine reached in Geneva last week, under which illegal armed groups, including those who have seized public buildings, would return home.
Mr Obama told a news conference in Japan that Moscow had failed to halt actions by militants in the region and warned that the US had further sanctions against Russia "teed up".
A contingent of US troops has begun landing in Poland for military exercises amid concerns among Nato's eastern members about Russian intentions.
Moscow has said it will respond to any attack on its interests in Ukraine.
Unrest began in Ukraine last November over whether the country should look towards Moscow or the West.
US paratroopers arrived in Poland on Wednesday for
exercises 
Mr Rybak went missing shortly after being manhandled
by pro-Russian protesters outside Horlivka town hall 
Yelena, Rybak's widow, was tearful when she addressed
the media on Wednesday Talks are reportedly taking place in Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov in the Donetsk region, between the two sides.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced on Thursday that the city hall in Mariupol had been "liberated" overnight without any casualties.
"Civic activists" played a major part in the operation, he said.
President Obama: "We have seen Russia not abide by the spirit
or the letter of the agreement in Geneva"
According to the local news website 0629, a group of about 30 unidentified men in their twenties armed with baseball bats stormed the mayor's office between 03:00 (01:00 GMT) and 04:00 on Thursday.
The protesters called the police who reportedly came out and calmed down the opposing sides.
Negotiations are under way at the scene between the separatists, the local pro-Ukrainian authorities and the police, the site says.
While the interior minister said nobody had been hurt in the operation, 0629 reported that five men were injured, though not seriously.
Three pro-Russian protesters were killed when Ukrainian security forces fought off a raid on a base in Mariupol on 17 April.
Mr Avakov also said that Ukrainian troops in Artemivsk, another town in the Donetsk region, had fended off an attempt by dozens of pro-Russian militants to seize weapons from a military unit. One soldier was wounded, he said.
Unverified footage of military helicopters, said to be flying over Artemivsk, was posted by a blogger on YouTube.
A local journalist, Anna Bokovaya, told Russian TV that about 50 people had taken part in the attack on the military unit, which lasted 45 minutes.
The militants began the attack after the soldiers inside rejected a demand to surrender, she said. The town was calm again on Thursday morning, she added.
Bloggers have posted photos of Ukrainian armoured vehicles said to be on the move near Sloviansk on Thursday.
A separatist roadblock near the town is on fire, amid reports that separatists abandoned it when the Ukrainian soldiers approached.
An initial operation against the separatists on 16 April got bogged down in Sloviansk, where Ukrainian soldiers abandoned their troop carriers to protesters.
Are you in Mariupol? How has the unrest affected you? You can email us your experiences at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, using the subject line 'Ukraine'.
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