Ukraine troops have retaken Mariupol city hall from pro-Russia separatists, reports say.

The rebels, who had seized the building last week, reportedly left early on Wednesday. The reason is not clear.

Pro-Russia separatists have captured official buildings in dozens of towns in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks.

Ukraine troops have retaken Mariupol city hall from pro-Russia separatists

The government has accused Russia of helping the rebels and sent troops to restore Kiev’s authority.

Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted a pro-Moscow militiaman in Mariupol as saying government forces had taken over the city hall.

“No shots were heard,” he said.

“All the militia members were removed from the building.”

He added that government forces had started to clear the barricade on the central square with a bulldozer.

There were also reports of clashes between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia militants in Sloviansk, a rebel stronghold, early on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian government has rejected the pro-Russian activists’ demands for greater autonomy for eastern regions, fearing they could lead to the break-up of the country or more regions being annexed.

Kiev has called a presidential election on May 25, and said it was ready to back new international talks in Geneva, as long as Moscow supported the poll.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ruled out holding another round of international talks unless pro-Russian opposition groups were involved.

The separatists in Donetsk have proclaimed a “People’s Republic” and are preparing to hold an independence referendum on Sunday.

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Ukraine’s government announces it has regained control of the city hall in the eastern port of Mariupol 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.

Administrative buildings have been taken over by separatists in at least a dozen towns in eastern Ukraine.

Talks are reportedly taking place in Mariupol between the two sides.

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, 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.

Barack 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”.

Ukraine’s government announces it has regained control of the city hall in the eastern port of Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists

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.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced on Thursday that the city hall in Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov in the Donetsk region, had been “liberated” overnight without any casualties.

“Civic activists” played a major part in the operation, he said.

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 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.

Arsen 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.

Three pro-Russian protesters were killed when Ukrainian security forces fought off a raid on a base in Mariupol on April 17.