Russia has condemned new US and EU sanctions that have been imposed over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said “Iron Curtain”-style US sanctions might harm its hi-tech sector and that the EU was “under Washington’s thumb”.
Russia had no intention of invading eastern Ukraine, where separatists have seized government buildings, he added.
Later, the regional governor’s headquarters in the city of Luhansk, near the Russian border, was stormed.
The AFP news agency reported that a crowd of more than 3,000 people, led by about 20 youths armed with metal bars, was attempting to take over the building.
Police were firing tear gas in an effort to push them back, Interfax-Ukraine said.
Pro-Russia activists seized the Security Service of Ukraine building in Luhansk three weeks ago.
