Crimea
© Photo from facebook.com/aleksandr.jankowski

Security forces are on alert after the buildings of the Crimean parliament and administration have been seized by an unknown group of people. Ukraine's autonomous region is divided over the acceptance of new authorities in Kiev.

Thousands gathered in front of the parliament building on Wednesday with crowds split between those supporting the new government and those calling for integration with Russia. Two people were killed and over 30 were injured in clashes.

What is Crimea? Facts you need to know

At around 4am local time, an unknown group of people barricaded themselves inside the buildings. According to local officials, those people might have been armed.

The men wore black and orange ribbons, a Russian symbol of the victory in World War II, according to AP. They placed a Russian flag on top of the Council of Ministers.

"I will participate in the negotiations. We will swiftly inform Crimeans of the current developments today. Everything is under control, the negotiating process is under way," Prime Minister of Crimea Anatoly Mogilyov told a local TV station.

Crimean parliament
© Unknown

The country's police and Interior Ministry troops have been on alert in connection with the situation in Crimea, Arsen Avakov, Ukraine's acting interior minister said on his Facebook page.

Avakov said the neighborhood around the seized parliament building has been cordoned off by police to prevent civilian casualties.

Law enforcement authorities are stationed next to the Council of Ministers, with officers banning people from approaching the building, Interfax-Ukraine reported, citing the press service of the Crimean parliament.

The group, which still has the buildings under control, said it is not authorized to either hold talks or make demands. Mogilyov has given them his phone number for further attempts to resolve the situation.

A correspondent from TV channel Russia 24 managed to speak to the people who barricaded themselves inside the Council of Ministers building. He was told that the group only intended to allow the speaker of the local parliament and the legally elected MPs inside.

Local police have asked Simferopol residents not to go downtown, according to Olga Kondrashova, the head of the press service of the Crimean police.

"Police are providing security in the area. We call on the residents of Simferopol and Crimea to stay calm, not to panic and try to avoid going to the city center," she said as cited by RIA Novosti.

Outside the sealed off center, Simferopol residents are reportedly leading their normal everyday life. There are a lot of people on the streets, most of the shops and cafes are open.