-- The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution that affirms Ukraine's territorial integrity.
-- The IMF has announced "a staff-level agreement" with Kyiv on assistance of $14 billion-$18 billion in conjunction with a reform program that will "unlock" up to $27 billion over the next two years, pending final approval next month. Tthe U.S. Congress has also passed an aid bill for Ukraine.
-- Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko has announced plans to run for president.
-- Members of the Right Sector have been holding a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament building to vent their anger at the killing of prominent member Oleksander Muzychkoearlier in the week.
-- Six Ukrainian military officers detained by pro-Russian troops in Crimea have been released, including Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, but five others are still being held captive.
-- Anonymous sources quoted by CNN say U.S. intelligence "concludes it is more likely than previously thought that Russian forces will enter eastern Ukraine."
-- U.S. President Barack Obama, in the keynote speech of his visit to Europe, chided Russia for its use of "brute force" in Ukraine and vowed that a determined alliance of the United States and Europe will prevail over time.
*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a statement saying that "freedom of information is in dire state in Crimea."
“At a time when the entire world is following events in Crimea, those who control the region have duty to allow local and foreign journalists to do their job. The obstruction and censorship taking place under their authority is unacceptable," said RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire.
The statement describes several incidents of harassment of journalists or infringements of access to information in Crimea in the last few days.
13:237.3.2014
Here are a few drawings from Serbian political cartoonist Predrag Koraksic Corax done specially for RFE/RL's Balkans Service.
"In the midst of the Cold War, leading universities had whole departments dedicated to understanding the Soviet Union. The top national security question of the day drew the top minds, many of whom became fluent in Russian language and culture and graduated into the government or the spy agencies. But the breakup of the Soviet Union broke up those departments, and the national security enthusiasts melted away with the thawing of relations. Professors found themselves out of funding and eventually jobs."
13:167.3.2014
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) hasposted photographs of its observer mission -- 47 people from 25 OSCE countries -- sent to Crimea at the request of the government in Kyiv trying to negotiate their way into the region at the Armyansk crossing point on March 6.
12:547.3.2014
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic arrived in Ukraine last night for a eight-day visit. He will meet with officials in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Simferopol and coordinate with international organizations including the OSCE and the Council of Europe.
He will address the media on March 14.
12:517.3.2014
RFE/RL's Russian Service is also liveblogging the Ukraine situation in Russian.
12:507.3.2014
Leading Ukrainian artists and cultural figures have made a direct video appeal to the Russian people to oppose the Russian government's incursion into Ukraine. "We are one family." "Fighting with Russia is just insane and incomprehensible." "If politicians can't agree on peace, then we will speak. We are against war." "The Russian and Ukrainian people are brothers."
12:447.3.2014
China does seem to be changing its tone on the situation in Ukraine. At first, Beijing seemed to stick to its traditional position of opposing any infringement on national sovereignty. Today, however, a Foreign Ministry spokesman focused on criticizing "the easy use of sanctions in international relations" and called for "dialogue and negotiations" to resolve the crisis.
China's official Xinua news agency posted a commentary criticizing "the West's strategy for installing so-called democratic and pro-Western Ukrainian government" for creating "a mess they do not have the capacity or wisdom to clean."
In their response, "Russian leaders once again proved their credibility and shrewdness in planning and executing effective counter moves."
12:377.3.2014
Activists in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa are organizing a pro-Russia rally for March 10:
