Paul Goble quotes extensively from a piece by Russian scholar Vladimir Pasthukov in polit.ru describing Putin as the "'Last Soldier' Of A Dying Empire."
Via Reuters:
International payment systems Visa and MasterCard said the new U.S. sanctions did not affect their operations in Russia.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismisses the latest sanctions as ineffectual in resolving the situation in Ukraine. Such moves are "evil" and have never cowed any country, he adds. Such punitive measures will amplify anti-U.S. sentiments, he claims, citing the experience of "the 1980s."
A number of videos made by Russian media are circulating of these two purported Ukrainian reservists after their capture by separatists.
Our Ukrainian Service says that with fighting continuing in Luhansk on the third and final day of mourning for the victims of attacks last week, authorities there are encouraging residents to stay home and avoid traveling in the city.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the new U.S. and EU sanctions are evidence that Russian efforts to divide Washington and Brussels aren't working, Reuters says. He also demanded that Russia stop supplying weapons to rebels in eastern Ukraine, saying his country will not be taken.