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Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference at his country residence of Novo-Ogaryova outside Moscow on March 4.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference at his country residence of Novo-Ogaryova outside Moscow on March 4.
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Live Blog: Ukraine On The Brink

Summary

-- 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

-- Glenn Kates / Luke Allnutt / Coilin O'Connor / Dan Wisniewski
09:01 26.2.2014
Kids' drawings on the streets on Kyiv, honoring protesters who died:

08:55 26.2.2014
08:54 26.2.2014
08:52 26.2.2014
A lot of news this morning (see the summary above for the latest developments). This just in:

Ukraine's acting President Oleksander Turchynov has assumed the duties of commander in chief of the country's armed forces.

The move was announced in a decree published on the presidential website on Wednesday. The announcement comes one day after acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said he had signed an order to disband the country's Berkut special police force.

The Berkut have been blamed by antigovernment protesters for violent attacks against demonstrators. Avakov said on his official Facebook page that "there is no Berkut any longer."

Further details are expected to be given at a briefing on Wednesday.

There are thought to be some 4,000 Berkut troops, who are well-trained and specialize in riot control and rapid-response operations.
20:27 25.2.2014
As regards the Russian bailout agreed with Yanukovych, this is just in from the wires:

A top Russian finance official says Moscow has no legal obligation to pay further tranches of a $15 billion bailout package for Ukraine that was agreed with ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.

Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said on February 25 that Moscow believes there's a "slight" risk debt-burdened Ukraine will not repay the first installment.

Russia disbursed $3 billion in an initial tranche, but suspended the next $2 billion tranche after violence and political turmoil roiled Ukraine last week.

Moscow has declined to recognize the former opposition politicians who have taken over as Ukraine's authorities.

Moscow agreed the bailout in November after Yanukovych rejected signing cooperation accords with the European Union.

Ukraine's new authorities have estimated the country will need $35 billion over the next two years to stave off financial ruin.
18:56 25.2.2014
18:12 25.2.2014

Read more on this initiative here.
17:31 25.2.2014
The Kremlin-funded RT TV station has just tweeted this:
17:01 25.2.2014
16:46 25.2.2014
"The Daily Mail" and other outlets have been running this almost incredible story of a young protester who fell in love with a Berkut police officer. They apparently met when she was acting as a human shield, standing between police officers and a group of demonstrators in the hope that heir presence there they would help stop the violence.

Lidia Pankiv subsequently went live on TV to talk about her love across the barricades, but gave the program's producers a lot more than they bargained for.

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