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Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya speaks to the UN General Assembly on March 27.
Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya speaks to the UN General Assembly on March 27.

Live Blog: UN Backs Ukraine Integrity

Final Summary For March 27

-- 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 Muzychko earlier 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
20:58 7.3.2014
More details on the raid on the Ukrainian military post in Crimea.

The Ukrainian soldiers at the base -- believed to number about 100 -- have barricaded themselves inside one of their barracks.

Interfax quoted the Ukraine Defense Ministry as saying the attackers -- reported to number about 20 --had entered the base after a Russian military truck broke down the gates and entered the base.
21:07 7.3.2014
According to the "Daily Telegraph's" correspondent in Crimea, it appears to all be over.
21:13 7.3.2014
Strong piece by Jonathan Freedland in "The Guardian" on how it is possible to condemn Putin's invasion, while being concerned about Kyiv's new ruling forces.

"Yet it should be possible to face the truth of both these situations, to condemn Putin's de facto dictatorship in Moscow and to be appalled by the presence of fascists in a 21st-century European government in Kiev."
09:16 8.3.2014
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports that pro-Russian forces have raided a border checkpoint near Kerch and driven out Ukrainian border guards, also seizing the facility's weapons.
09:34 8.3.2014
09:38 8.3.2014
10:20 8.3.2014
Interesting piece in "The New York Times" on how Putin's decision-making unfolded.

"The decision to invade Crimea, the officials and analysts said, was made not by the national security council but in secret among a smaller and shrinking circle of Mr. Putin’s closest and most trusted aides. The group excluded senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the cadre of comparatively liberal advisers who might have foreseen the economic impact and potential consequences of American and European sanctions."
10:47 8.3.2014
Kyrgyz Service colleague notes Russian TV's Channel One kicked off its news with a report on the "infringement of the rights of the Russian-speaking population" in Ukraine.
10:49 8.3.2014
10:50 8.3.2014
RFE/RL Russian Service quotes PM Stephen Harper announcing that Canada is imposing visa sanctions against some Russian officials over Ukrainian events, adding that the Canadian government is eyeing further moves.

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