TOPSHOTS An elderly woman holds a Russian flag outside the secret service building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk on April 16, 2014. An operation by Ukrainian forces to reassert control over its eastern regions floundered Wednesday in the face of pro-Russian resistance, a day ahead of international talks on the escalating crisis. A concerned NATO said it planned to deploy more forces in eastern Europe and called for Russia to stop "destabilising" the former Soviet satellite, which has been in deep turmoil since the ouster of the pro-Kremlin leadership in February. AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF