-- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kyiv as U.S. officials announced Washington is preparing a $1 billion aid package for Ukraine.
-- Speaking at a press conference at his residence, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the change of government in Ukraine an "unconstitutional overthrow and an armed seizure of power."
-- Putin also said there are no considerations to annex Crimea and no intentions to provoke separatist sentiment. He said it is up to the citizens of Crimea to determine their own future.
-- In Crimea, there are standoffs between Russian and Ukrainian troops in their bases, with conflicting reports of ultimatums given to Ukrainian troops to surrender that come and pass.
-- Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin has said that Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovych sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting that he use the Russian military to restore law and order in his country.
-- In eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian demonstrators have occupied part of the regional government building in the city of Donetsk. Meanwhile, a few hundred pro-Russian activists tried but failed to force their way into the regional administration building in the southern city of Odesa.
NOTE: Live blog updates are listed according to local time in Kyiv
The body count mounted dramatically in Kyiv on February 20 as fighting between antigovernment protesters and security forces escalated. Field hospitals were hastily improvised in hotel lobbies in Independence Squares to care for the injured, as video footage showed that some security forces were apparently using live ammunition and sniper rifles. There have been dozens of deaths since fighting broke out on February 18.
Some more details on the EU sanctions just in from RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak (with additional reporting by Reuters and AP):
European Union foreign ministers have agreed to impose sanctions targeting Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for this week’s violence and the use of excessive force.
The measures approved today at an extraordinary meeting in Brussels include visa bans and asset freezes.
The measures also include restrictions on the export to Ukraine of antiriot equipment, such as batons, that could be used for repression.
No names of individuals subject to the sanctions were listed.
Yesterday, the United States said it was imposing sanctions on 20 Ukrainian officials it deemed responsible for violence.
17:5220.2.2014
There has been lots of speculation as to whether Ukraine's army will become involved in the crisis. RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel weighs up the pros and cons here.
17:3520.2.2014
The EU has agreed on sanctions. Our correspondent in Brussels has the details.
Local news outlets, including RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service are reporting that a number of Transcarpathian deputies from the ruling Party of Regions intend to leave the party ranks. A statement issued by the press service of the deputy Ivan Bushko said that the current escalation of the crisis had persaded him and four other deputies -- Serhiy Moshak, Mykhaylo Lano, Vasyl Kovach, and Ishtvan Haydosh -- to resign from the party. "Remember, no political party is worth a human life," the statement said.
16:4920.2.2014
Update on Olesya Zhukova, who tweeted "I'm dying" after being seen in a photo with an apparent wound to the neck area.
Halyna Tytysh, a reporter for "Ukrayinska pravda," said she asked a doctor about her case. The doctor said her injury is "serious" but she is likely to live.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt offers "appeal to Ukraine's elected officials." He says members of parliament who are not at the Verkhovna Rada, "working to forge a political solution, you're part of the problem, you're not part of the solution.
