Ukraine’s top police official gave a 48-hour deadline to separatists who have occupied the regional government building in Donetsk Wednesday, as activists in the eastern city continued to dig in and expand their makeshift defenses and arsenals. Donetsk’s regional governor, meanwhile, sounded a more conciliatory note after meeting for talks with leaders of the separatists for more than two hours. As crowds of at least 1,000 massed throughout the day outside the administration building in the center of the city, the comments by acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov appeared to deepen the resolve of the scores of masked, camouflaged men roaming the building and its exterior — many wearing orange construction helmets, carrying makeshift clubs and hospital surgical masks. Speaking at a government meeting in Kyiv, Avakov said “antiterrorist operations” were underway in Donetsk and two other regions that have seen pro-Russian activists seize government buildings. […]