Analysis: Putin knows U.S., EU unwilling to go to war over Ukraine

(CNN) – Mountains of tires, Molotov cocktails, and razor wire now litter a government building in Donyetsk, just one of the cities in eastern Ukraine that pro-Russia protesters are attempting to take by force.

Meanwhile in nearby Luhansk, there are conflicting reports of a hostage situation. Kiev says 51 government workers have now reportedly been released after being detained and threatened with explosives.

The pro-Putin protesters have denied all along that anyone was being held against their will. But with propaganda clouding the reality on the ground, Russia now warns that civil war will erupt if Ukraine uses force to put-down the revolts.

With 40,000 troops waiting on the Russian side of the border, that warning is starting to sound to some like a threat.

The New Republic's Julia Ioffe and Time's Michael Crowley join CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" to discuss.