Today's conflict map from Ukrainian military authorities, who also said today that hotspots remained east of Mariupol and Donetsk's airport.
More on Lavrov's accusation today that the legislation on breakaway regions passed Tuesday in Kyiv is a problem.
Russia Says Ukraine Violates Terms Of East Ukraine Deal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Ukrainian legislation on the status of rebel-held eastern regions is a "glaring violation" of a European-brokered peace deal signed last month in Minsk.
In comments on March 18, Lavrov lashed out at Kyiv over legislation passed by the Ukrainian parliment the previous day, suggesting it would badly undermine the chances of reaching a politcal settlement between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists.
"I don't know how the political process will go now," Lavrov said.
He said he had sent a message to the foreign ministers of Germany and France that "drew their attention to the glaring violation of the first steps of the political part of the Minsk package," Lavrov said.
Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada approved legislation setting the boundaries of territory to be granted "special status" entailing a measure of autonomy, but stipulated that it should come into force only after elections are held under Ukrainian law.
Russia and the rebels claim that violates the terms of the Minsk agreement.
Based on reporting by RIA and TASS
Worthwhile Bloomberg piece from @jneuger: Is EU Support For Russia Sanctions Waning? See Who's Visiting The Kremlin.
An excerpt:
The lifting of some restrictions wouldn’t mean the lifting of all, in a classic EU compromise. One future possibility is to “modulate” the sanctions to reward partial compliance with the cease-fire, French officials told reporters in Paris on Tuesday.
“The anti-sanctions camp seems to be growing in confidence,” Steven Blockmans, an analyst at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, said by phone. He said it would take a renewed Russian-backed drive deeper into Ukrainian territory to trigger “a further ramping up.”
The latest on Russia's ongoing events to mark the Crimean annexation, from our newsroom:
Russia Celebrates Crimea Takeover As Criticism Mounts
LATEST: Russian news agencies quote Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying that the fresh Ukrainian legislation on the status of eastern regions is a "glaring violation" of Minsk peace agreements, and he has urged France and Germany to put pressure on Kyiv.