SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — From the country’s richest man to citizens under fire, anger and dismay over Ukraine’s eastern turmoil gained strength Tuesday, but pro-Russian rebels who have declared the region independent vowed defiance.

In Kiev, home to the central government that the separatists detest, lawmakers passed a memorandum that guaranteed the status of Russian as Ukraine’s second official language and proposed government decentralization. While the document offered no specifics or timeframe, Russia — which long had pressed for both commitments — offered words of guarded welcome.