Donetsk confirms at least 17 dead in mine explosion:
The spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry in the self-proclaimed, separatist-held Donetsk People's Republic has confirmed 16 more bodies have been removed from a coal mine following an explosion.
Yuliana Bedilo said late on March 4 that the search continued for another 16 miners still missing after a blast at the Zasyadko mine earlier in the day.
One miner was already reported dead earlier in the day.
Authorities in Kyiv were attempting to send rescue teams to the region in eastern Ukraine but according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, pro-Russian separatists were refusing to allow rescue teams access to the scene.
"That is why I am publicly calling on the Russian Federation -- order these rascals to allow our mine-rescue brigades to save the lives of miners," Yatsenyuk said.
Eastern Ukraine has been devastated by a conflict between Russian-backed rebels and government forces that has killed more than 6,000 people since April.
Fighting has subsided following a February 12 cease-fire deal. (TASS and AP)
U.S. eyeing "deeper" Russia sanctions if Ukraine truce falters:
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland says the United States and Europe are examining potential “deeper sanctions” against Russia should pro-Moscow separatists push to seize further territory in eastern Ukraine.
Nuland told a Congressional hearing on March 4 that new sanctions could be introduced should the separatists embark on a “further land grab” and that Washington is watching for a possible rebel push toward “at-risk villages" on the road to the strategic eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
She said a U.S. government sanctions team is in Europe this week and that Washington and the EU are discussing further sanctions targeting Russian economic sectors should a February cease-fire brokered in Minsk break down.
“It is important to keep these sanctions in place and to consider deepening them,” she said.
Crackdown in effect?
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office charges eastern mayor:
U.S. Congressman announces bill to aid Ukraine:
A senior U.S. lawmaker says he plans to introduce legislation that will offer "greater assistance" to Ukraine and increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Kremlin's interference in Ukraine.
U.S. Representative Eliot Engel (Democrat-New York) announced the planned legislation on March 4, telling a Congressional hearing that it will "offer Ukraine greater assistance on a variety of fronts" and "dial up the pressure on Vladimir Putin for his reckless, destructive and destabilizing policies."
"And it will send a clear message that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression," Engel, the ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, told the hearing.
When contacted by RFE/RL, Engel's office did not provide immediate details on the draft bill or when it would be introduced.
Dozens of people are feared dead following a coal-mine blast in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. One miner, Ivan Lazarenko, described the scene at the mine from a hospital ward where he was being treated for serious burns. (Reuters)
