15:35
6.3.2014
In Russian:
Watch Crimean Tatar leader Chubarov announcing boycott of Crimean referendum [Ru] http://t.co/ElUz2ykGZ2 | @radiosvoboda
— Russian Police Watch (@RusPoliceWatch) March 6, 2014
16:12
6.3.2014
A hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Washington has reconvened after a recess. Eric Rubin, Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State, tells the committee that Washington is encouraged by the current Ukrainian government's willingness to deal with the IMF on correcting deficiencies in its economy.
16:15
6.3.2014
Paige Alexander, assistant administrator Bureau for Europe and Eurasia for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), tells the same hearing that in the leadup to Ukrainian elections it is important to make sure objective information is available to the Ukrainian public and that Washington supports that effort. She was answering a question from U.S. Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that's holding the "U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Ukraine" hearing, about whether Washington plans to increase surrogate radio broadcasting to Ukraine, especially to eastern Ukraine.
16:21
6.3.2014
A senior State Department official says on background that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed Ukraine today when they met on the sidelines of the International Conference on Libya in Rome for 40 minutes. Kerry is said to have stressed the importance of direct Russian-Ukrainian dialogue and talked with Lavrov about formats. Kerry, the source says, also highlighted the need for access by international monitors to Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
16:32
6.3.2014
a suspension of visa talks & negotiations on a new economic agreement with #Russia is on cards. #Ukraine
— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) March 6, 2014
16:52
6.3.2014
Reuters quotes Polish media "Gazeta Wyborcza" and "Rzeczpospolita" saying 12 F-16 U.S. fighters are being sent to Poland for a training exercise.
16:57
6.3.2014
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy announces that a Russian failure to deescalate the situation in Crimea "will have serious consequences on our bilateral relations."
16:58
6.3.2014
Van Rompuy threatens Russia with "severe and far-reaching consequences...which will include a broad range of areas."
07:08
7.3.2014
After reports that an independent television station was shut down almost as soon as pro-Russian forces took over Crimea, comes news of further media restrictions:
And harassment of journalists on the street continues:
In Crimea, at least one Ukrainian TV channel has been taken off the air. A presenter at 1+1, Lidia Taran, said that reporters at the TV channel had been attacked while working in Crimea.
"Our journalists from the very start of the standoff in Crimea were in danger. Every day our local correspondents are attacked," Taran said. "There were several attempts for our Kyiv crews to drive out and work in Crimea, they were a failure, today one of our crews was taken in."
Other reports said another Ukrainian TV channel, Channel 5, had also been blocked from broadcasting on the Black Sea peninsula.
"Our journalists from the very start of the standoff in Crimea were in danger. Every day our local correspondents are attacked," Taran said. "There were several attempts for our Kyiv crews to drive out and work in Crimea, they were a failure, today one of our crews was taken in."
Other reports said another Ukrainian TV channel, Channel 5, had also been blocked from broadcasting on the Black Sea peninsula.
And harassment of journalists on the street continues:
Separatists in #Crimea claimed war to journalists http://t.co/wqDs3DWjzQ #Ukraine #CrimeaInvasion #SaveUkraine
— ВьОля Ласивна (@temno4ka) March 7, 2014