The takeover of additional government buildings in eastern Ukraine on Thursday appeared to confirm statements from officials in Kiev that the interim goverment is fast losing control of the region despite military operations and previous vows to quell protests and dismantle encampments held by pro-Russian citizens in numerous cities.

In Donetsk a dramatic confrontation occurred at the local prosecutor’s headquarters between state security forces loyal to Kiev and locals demanding a referendum vote on the future of the eastern city.

As the following footage from Donetsk shows, the local pro-Russian forces overpowered the riot police, pelting them with stones and chunks of concrete before stripping them of their shields and forcing them away from the building:

Also on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone and said that the government in Kiev should halt its military operations in the east of Ukraine in order to promote the possibility of a “national dialogue” that could lead to the end of the crisis.

According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Putin emphasized to Merkel that it was vital for the authorities in Kiev “to withdraw all military units from the southeastern regions, stop the violence and immediately launch a broad national dialogue as part of the constitutional reform process involving all regions and political forces.”