-- 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
Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor in chief of the journal "Russia in Global Affairs," looks at how Ukraine is viewed from Moscow. Some highlights:
In [Putin's] view, unrest must be suppressed before it turns into a huge fire. Unrest produces nothing but chaos. A weak state drives itself into a trap. Once a state falters, external forces will charge through the breach and start shattering it until it falls. The West is destructive. It is either unable to understand the complexity of the situation and acts in a primitive way, designating "good" and "bad" players, or it deliberately destroys undesirable systems. The result is always the same - things get worse. The desire to limit Russian influence and hinder Moscow's initiatives is the invariable imperative of the Western policy.
Moscow believes that regime change would thrust Ukraine into anarchy and that it may collapse as a state in the end. It considers the Ukrainian political class, regardless of its political views, irresponsible and unprofessional. Ukrainian "peacetime" politics is reduced to endless intrigues of oligarchic groups, which have no idea about strategy.
Today Moscow is not seeking the collapse of Ukraine and is taking no special steps in this direction. But if the internal conflict escalates, Russia may opt to establish closer contacts with pro-Russian regions in eastern and south-eastern Ukraine. Russia is confident that the West's interference and unilateral support for the opposition brings such a scenario closer.
This means that language preference does not as easily correlate with cultural preferences (Russia versus the West) or political choices (Yanukovych versus the democrats), as the East-West paradigm suggests.
In sum, the image of two competing blocs is just dead wrong. Ukraine happens to be an extremely diverse place, with a range of languages, cultures, identities, and political preferences throughout the country.
08:0123.2.2014
Good morning. Luke Allnutt (@lukeallnutt) here, kicking off the Ukraine live blog. It was a momentous day yesterday with parliament voting to dismiss Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko freed from prison before speaking to the crowd on Kyiv's Independence Square.
Things are looking a little quieter this morning. So much is still unknown, though. Where is Yanukovych? How will pro-Yanukovych or pro-Russian regions react to the transitioning power in Kyiv? How will Russia react?
What has been amazing is just how quickly this story has moved, with many surprises and twists and turns along the way. Making any predictions is a fool's game.
21:0622.2.2014
It is still unclear how large the split is in the country over support for the Maidan movement. Thousands of people reportedly attended an anti-Maidan rally in Kharkiv, a strongly pro-Russian region in the east. And Simon Shuster, a correspondent for "Time" magazine spent the day in Sevastopol, home to the Russian Black Sea fleet.
The atmosphere there provides a stark contrast to that in Kyiv.
And watch what happened when a small group of people attempted to hold a pro-Maidan rally in Crimea.
20:5822.2.2014
Interfax reports the state border service refused to allow a chartered flight with Viktor Yanukovych to leave Donetsk.
20:5222.2.2014
Our Ukrainian Service shot video of Tymoshenko's release from the prison hospital today.
20:3322.2.2014
Tymoshenko, looking frail, nonetheless seemed in her element on the Maidan stage. She spoke of the need to punish those responsible for the killings of Ukraine's "heroes" and apologized "for all politicians."
"Heroes do not die, they are always with us. They are our inspiration and our responsibility," she said.
"When I saw Kyiv I didn't recognize it," she said. "This is another Ukraine and Ukraine is another people."
Reporters on the scene said the crowd's reaction to the controversial politician was mixed.
19:4022.2.2014
Livestream of Tymoshenko speaking
19:1822.2.2014
White House welcomes constructive work in the Rada, does not mention Yanukovych
Here is the statement in full:
The United States is closely monitoring developments in Ukraine. We have consistently advocated a de-escalation of violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections, and today’s developments could move us closer to that goal. The unshakeable principle guiding events must be that the people of Ukraine determine their own future. We welcome constructive work in the Rada and continue to urge the prompt formation of a broad, technocratic government of national unity. We welcome former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s release from a prison hospital today, and we wish her a speedy recovery as she seeks the appropriate medical treatment that she has long needed and sought.
We continue to urge an end to violence by all sides and a focus on peaceful, democratic dialogue, working pursuant to Ukraine’s constitution and through its institutions of government. Going forward, we will work with our allies, with Russia, and with appropriate European and international organizations to support a strong, prosperous, unified, and democratic Ukraine. Going forward, the Ukrainian people should know that the United States deeply values our long-standing ties with Ukraine and will support them as they pursue a path of democracy and economic development.
18:3922.2.2014
18:3422.2.2014
Photos of Tymoshenko release
Photo Gallery:
Yulia Tymoshenko's Release From A Prison Hospital
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was released from a prison hospital in Kharkiv following a parliamentary vote granting her freedom. She had been imprisoned on abuse of office charges since 2011 that were widely seen as politically motivated.
