Another Ukraine-related item from our news desk:
The chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Political Affairs and Security for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has raised concerns about Russian military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and its "complete suspension" of work under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).
The chairman, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, said in a statement on March 13 that he was "disappointed in Russia’s decision to turn its back on its international obligations" under the CFE treaty.
Wicker rejected Russia’s argument that its withdrawal from the treaty was forced by NATO actions.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin's "aggression against Ukraine, including the movement of Russian military hardware and troops, clearly demonstrates" that he intends "to spark an arms race that could threaten security and stability in Europe."
There seems to have been a pretty bad accident in Donetsk this morning between a car and a tank. Needless to say, the car came off worse in the incident. (WARNING: the video contains distrubing footage):
And here are some more Savchenko details from our news desk:
Ukrainian physicians who traveled to Russia to examine jailed Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko have now been allowed in to see her.
Savchenko's lawyer, Mark Feigin, confirmed on Twitter that Ukrainian doctors met with Savchenko on March 14.
Officials at the facility where Savchenko is being kept said they would not allow an earlier visit on March 13, because the doctors did not have the necessary paperwork from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Savchenko recently ended a nearly three-month hunger strike to protest what she calls her illegal confinement by Russia.
She is in pretrial detention in Russia, where she has been charged with involvement in a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists covering the conflict between government forces and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Just one of a number of tweets saying that Ukrainian doctors were finally allowed see Nadia Savchenko. We should have more details from our news desk shortly.
Here's an item from RFE/RL's news desk:
Energy independence is high on the agenda of a conference in Vienna today that brings together members of the European Parliament and senior European Union officials.
The conference is examining how the conflict in Ukraine, and threats by Russia's state-run Gazprom to cut off gas shipments passing through Ukraine, are affecting the EU's relations with its eastern neighbors.
Johannes Hahn, the EU Commissioner on Neighborhood Policy, was due to speak about the importance of energy issues in the EU's policy toward its eastern neighbors.
That workshop has been titled "After Nabucco and South Stream -- the region needs a fresh start”" -- a reference to troubled pipeline proposals meant to link Central and Eastern Europe's natural gas markets with Russia and the Caspian Sea region.
Delegates are also discussing how energy efficiency and renewable energy resources can lessen the EU's dependence on Russian gas.