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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
15:09 3.3.2014
We saw yesterday how Russia reacted to fairly meager antiwar demos in Moscow -- by arresting protesters.

Now, according to "The Moscow Times," the Russian authorities are blocking websites linked to the Ukrainian protest movement.

Roskomnadzor said in a statement published online Monday that it had been ordered by the general prosecutor's office to shut down the pages on Russia's leading social media website, Vkontakte. The agency said the groups "propagandized the activity of Ukrainian nationalist groups," and accused them of encouraging "terrorist activity" and "participation in unsanctioned mass actions."

The largest pro-demonstration group, which has more than 500,000 members, was not accessible to users in Russia on Monday.
15:04 3.3.2014
So the IMF is due in Ukraine tomorrow:

A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on March 4 to discuss urgent financial support for Ukraine.

The IMF said Monday the "fact-finding mission" would discuss reforms Ukraine would need to implement to qualify for IMF aid.

The IMF team is tentatively scheduled to stay in Ukraine until March 14. The IMF move comes after Russia cancelled a deal from last year that would have seen Moscow extend some $15 billion to Kyiv to prop the Ukrainian economy.

The Kremlin suspended the deal after former President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted late last month. Yanukovych and Russian President Vladimir Putin negotiated the Russian financial package last December.
15:02 3.3.2014
From the wires:
Russia has sharply criticized Western members of the Group of Eight major industrialized countries for suspending preparations for a G8 summit scheduled to be held in the Russian city of Sochi in June over the crisis in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that the decision "has no grounds" and "damages not only the G8 countries but also the whole international community." Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said the decision was "politically flawed" and "counterproductive." On Sunday, the G7 -- an economic grouping that unlike the G8 excludes Russia -- condemned Russia's "clear violation" of the sovereignty of Ukraine, and said they would not take part in preparatory talks for G8 summit in Sochi. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also warned that Moscow risks losing its G8 seat.
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