Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

We'll await more concrete confirmation, but the "Kyiv Post" is quoting BBC's Russian service quoting the "Donetsk People's Republic" leadership as saying Slovyansk "people's mayor" Vyacheslav Ponomaryov has indeed been "detained."

A little over an hour ago, ITAR-TASS was quoting self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" boss Denis Pushilin as declining to confirm Ponomaryov's "arrest."

The reports began yesterday that separatist Ponomaryov had been deposed and seized based on a decision by "Donetsk People's Republic" commander and Russian national Igor Girkin, also known as Strelkov.

Here's one of those Luhansk People's Republic requests for recognition via the "Guardian's" Moscow correspondent:

From Slovyansk:

WATCH: Veteran Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, who has been barred from returning to his homeland after Russia's annexation of Crimea, says Moscow is relying "on the old Soviet policy of dividing the Crimean Tatars." In an interview with RFE/RL's Alsu Kurmasheva and Andrei Shary, Dzhemilev said that after attempts to co-opt the representative body of the Tatar community failed, the authorities may ban the Crimean Tatar Mejlis throughout the peninsula. He also said Moscow's annexation of Crimea is "damaging to the basic interests of Russia and the Russian people." (RFE/RL's Russian and Tatar-Bashkir Services)

Barring major developments, that concludes our live blogging for June 11. You can follow developments on Ukraine and the rest of RFE/RL's broadcast area HERE.

Pro-Kyiv military blogger Dmitry Tymchuk claims that Russian special services in the Rostov region have trained and created a "special force totaling 80 people from Crimea." All of them were participants in "self-defense" forces that helped Russia annex the peninsula in February and March.

Members of the special force will be "inserted into the Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Tymchuk says.