11:59
24.3.2014
Last week Russian media was claiming that Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk was offering to parcel off western Ukraine to Poland. Now it turns out it was actually Vladimir Zhirinovsky who made the offer.
The Gazeta.pl news site reports the LDPR leader sent a letter to the Polish Foreign Ministry calling on Warsaw to follow Russia's example and hold a unification referendum in Ukraine's Volyn, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Rivne regions.
Zhirinovsky reportedly sent similar proposals to Hungary and Romania, suggesting they use a similar strategy to acquire Transcarpatia and Chernivtsi respectively. The plan -- which presumably envisions a Russian acquisition of eastern Ukraine -- envisions leaving only a small central region of the country intact.
Any takers? Not in Poland, at least. Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Wojciechowski said, "The proposal is so strange, that no one is taking it seriously. It's outrageous to suggest that Poland would participate in dividing up the territory of an ally. Only a sick mind could come up with something like this."
12:11
24.3.2014
Here's another update on U.S. Barack Obama's trip to The Hague:
After meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Amsterdam, U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States and Europe are united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions in Crimea.
Speaking in the Netherlands at the start of a European tour, Obama said Europe and the United States are united in support of the Ukrainian government and its people.
He called Washington's NATO allies its closest partners on the world stage and said Europe is the cornerstone of American engagement with the world.
After meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Amsterdam, U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States and Europe are united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions in Crimea.
Speaking in the Netherlands at the start of a European tour, Obama said Europe and the United States are united in support of the Ukrainian government and its people.
He called Washington's NATO allies its closest partners on the world stage and said Europe is the cornerstone of American engagement with the world.
12:20
24.3.2014
#Obama and Dutch PM delivering remarks now inside #Rijksmuseum. Jointly condemn #Crimea intervention as "flagrant breach of intl. law"
— Douglas Herbert (@dougf24) March 24, 2014
#Obama, speaking in front of Rembrandt's "Night Watch": "This is definitely one of the most impressive backdrops I've had for a press conf"
— Douglas Herbert (@dougf24) March 24, 2014
12:54
24.3.2014
Fascinating interview in Telegraf.lv with Oleg Syropyatov, a professor at Ukraine's Military Medical Academy, on the "psychiatric epidemic" starting in Ukraine.
"People got a feeling of enthusiasm and uplift [from coming to Maidan]. But this uplift was an adrenalin rush that went on for a really long time, and so many people are exhausted. The doctors working on Maidan say there are already a lot of psychoses. People with altered states of consciousness. Unfortunately, this traumatic stress disorder is undoubtedly going to spread through the public. It's a deep-seated, very strong trauma. People in this condition can develop a kind of trench disease. If you recall history, the First World War was fought in the trenches. People waited for a very long time, sitting in the trenches, suffering from a lack of action. And then it turned into a bloody revolution."
13:01
24.3.2014
Following President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's comments yesterday, our newsdesk has some more on the Crimea fallout in Belarus:
The chairwoman of the Central Election Commission in Belarus says she believes events in neighboring Ukraine affected voter turnout in local elections in her country.
Talking to journalists on March 24, Lidziya Yarmoshina said that "even passive voters in Belarus came to the polling stations because, after the events in Ukraine, they understood that they need a strong power structure in order to keep the state functioning."
Yarmoshina said more than 77 percent of voters nationwide took part in elections for almost 19,000 deputies on local councils yesterday.
She said voters understand that they can support "strong power" by taking part in elections.
In Minsk, the capital, 61 percent of voters went to the polls, while in some regions voter turnout was reported to be as high as 80 percent. (Interfax, belta.by)
Talking to journalists on March 24, Lidziya Yarmoshina said that "even passive voters in Belarus came to the polling stations because, after the events in Ukraine, they understood that they need a strong power structure in order to keep the state functioning."
Yarmoshina said more than 77 percent of voters nationwide took part in elections for almost 19,000 deputies on local councils yesterday.
She said voters understand that they can support "strong power" by taking part in elections.
In Minsk, the capital, 61 percent of voters went to the polls, while in some regions voter turnout was reported to be as high as 80 percent. (Interfax, belta.by)
13:17
24.3.2014
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports that more than 1,000 residents of Crimea and southeastern Ukraine have contacted a hotline offering emergency assistance to people looking to relocate to Transcarpatia.
More than 200 IDPs have already resettled in the southwestern region, most of whom have moved in with friends or relatives. Local officials say they are prepared to use motels, retirement homes, and other public buildings in case of "massive" refugee flows.
Read the whole article (in Ukrainian) HERE:
More than 200 IDPs have already resettled in the southwestern region, most of whom have moved in with friends or relatives. Local officials say they are prepared to use motels, retirement homes, and other public buildings in case of "massive" refugee flows.
Read the whole article (in Ukrainian) HERE:
13:24
24.3.2014
Cost for #EU 28 and Russia without gas imports from #Russia. Source: http://t.co/TDUEPIZpZ6 #Crimea #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/5PmJrIxxnw
— Anders Östlund (@andersostlund) March 24, 2014
13:45
24.3.2014
Amid all the speculation surrounding the eastern city of Donetsk, some residents have launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign for it to join the United Kingdom. The idea is not quite as crazy as it sounds, given that the town was first established in the 1800s by a Welsh industrialist called John Hughes.
14:04
24.3.2014
Another update from The Hague, this time in relation to U.S.-Russian cooperation on dealing with Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons:
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed hope that the Crimea crisis will not affect Russia's cooperation in international efforts to destroy Syria's chemical stockpiles.
Speaking in The Hague today, Kerry said he hoped "the same motivations that drove Russia to be a partner in this effort will still exist."
Syria's government agreed to destroy its chemical weapons following international condemnation after a chemical attack that killed hundreds around Damascus last year.
The deal was brokered by Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
Kerry confirmed that about half of Syria's declared chemical weapons has been shipped out or destroyed within Syria.
Damascus is still several weeks behind schedule in handing over its stockpiles, however.
Lavrov said in The Hague today that all chemical weapons "will be removed from Syria by mid-2014." (Reuters, Interfax)
Speaking in The Hague today, Kerry said he hoped "the same motivations that drove Russia to be a partner in this effort will still exist."
Syria's government agreed to destroy its chemical weapons following international condemnation after a chemical attack that killed hundreds around Damascus last year.
The deal was brokered by Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
Kerry confirmed that about half of Syria's declared chemical weapons has been shipped out or destroyed within Syria.
Damascus is still several weeks behind schedule in handing over its stockpiles, however.
Lavrov said in The Hague today that all chemical weapons "will be removed from Syria by mid-2014." (Reuters, Interfax)
14:28
24.3.2014
Another item from RFE/RL's newsdesk -- the Russian ruble can now be used as a legal currency in Crimea:
The Russian ruble became legal tender in the recently annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea as of today.
The chairman of the Bank of Crimea, Nikolai Barilyuk, said earlier that all payments in Crimea can now be made in either Russian rubles or Ukrainian hryvnya, adding that the two currencies will be in dual use until January 1, 2016.
After that, the ruble will become the sole currency in Crimea.
Correspondents report that, on the ground, banks and shops were still dealing almost exclusively in hryvnya today.
Barilyuk also said that Moscow will soon be providing Crimea with monetary aid in the amount of 1 billion rubles ($28 million) to keep the financial situation steady.
Crimea's pro-Russian Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev said today that some 200,000 retired residents of Crimea will receive their pensions in rubles in several days. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS, AFP)
The chairman of the Bank of Crimea, Nikolai Barilyuk, said earlier that all payments in Crimea can now be made in either Russian rubles or Ukrainian hryvnya, adding that the two currencies will be in dual use until January 1, 2016.
After that, the ruble will become the sole currency in Crimea.
Correspondents report that, on the ground, banks and shops were still dealing almost exclusively in hryvnya today.
Barilyuk also said that Moscow will soon be providing Crimea with monetary aid in the amount of 1 billion rubles ($28 million) to keep the financial situation steady.
Crimea's pro-Russian Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev said today that some 200,000 retired residents of Crimea will receive their pensions in rubles in several days. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS, AFP)