Pro-Russian gunman seized state buildings in the eastern cities of Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk on Sunday, subsequently demanding that Crimea-style referendums be held on whether to join Russia.

Much like the men who took over Crimea, these "protesters" and separatists are suspected by Ukraine of being masked Russians with military training who are a manifestation of Vladimir Putin's desire to control the Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine and destabilize the new government in Kiev.

Given the context of the increasing unrest, this graffiti in the southwestern city of Odessa is fitting.

The mural, created to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine after Russia's takeover of Crimea, depicts Putin and reads "No to war; yes to peace!"ukraineREUTERS/Yevgeny VolokinA man looks at a graffiti produced to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and to protest Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in Odessa April 7, 2014.