10:47
25.4.2014
Some reports coming out of an incident at Kramatorsk airfield. Smoke seen in some photos. BBC team heading there.
— Kevin Bishop (@bishopk) April 25, 2014
10:32
25.4.2014
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service has been talking to Stefan Fuele in Prague:
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele says the best way for Russia to help de-escalate the situation in Ukraine is to withdraw the troops that it has massed along its border with Ukraine.
Fuele, who is in Prague for a meeting of the EU's Eastern Partnership, told RFE/RL yesterday that along with discussing the future of the European Partnership, the gathering is also talking about how to help Ukraine and end the crisis there.
Russia has an estimated 40,000 troops along the Ukrainian border.
Fuele added that EU officials have made it clear that economic and other sanctions against Russia will get tougher if the situation in Ukraine is further escalated by Moscow.
Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova are the six countries in the EU's Eastern Partnership.
Elsewhere, speaking in South Korea earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama said he will consult with key European leaders later today to discuss the Ukraine crisis and possible additional sanctions against Russia.
Fuele, who is in Prague for a meeting of the EU's Eastern Partnership, told RFE/RL yesterday that along with discussing the future of the European Partnership, the gathering is also talking about how to help Ukraine and end the crisis there.
Russia has an estimated 40,000 troops along the Ukrainian border.
Fuele added that EU officials have made it clear that economic and other sanctions against Russia will get tougher if the situation in Ukraine is further escalated by Moscow.
Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova are the six countries in the EU's Eastern Partnership.
Elsewhere, speaking in South Korea earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama said he will consult with key European leaders later today to discuss the Ukraine crisis and possible additional sanctions against Russia.
10:10
25.4.2014
10:09
25.4.2014
RFE/RL's news desk has been reporting on Sergei Lavrov's latest comments:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Washington of distorting an international agreement on Ukraine by making additional demands on Moscow.
Speaking in Moscow on April 25, Lavrov said "Russia will firmly contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict based on the compromise approach agreed in Geneva."
But he said "one-sided demands" are being made by the United States, which he said has "an outstanding ability to turn everything on its head."
He also said the pro-Western government in Kyiv will eventually face justice for its security operation in eastern Ukraine, calling it a "bloody crime."
Lavrov's comments after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the "window of opportunity" for Russia to change course in Ukraine is closing.
He said Russia has not taken "a single concrete step" to implement the agreement reached last week in Geneva.
Speaking in Moscow on April 25, Lavrov said "Russia will firmly contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict based on the compromise approach agreed in Geneva."
But he said "one-sided demands" are being made by the United States, which he said has "an outstanding ability to turn everything on its head."
He also said the pro-Western government in Kyiv will eventually face justice for its security operation in eastern Ukraine, calling it a "bloody crime."
Lavrov's comments after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the "window of opportunity" for Russia to change course in Ukraine is closing.
He said Russia has not taken "a single concrete step" to implement the agreement reached last week in Geneva.
10:02
25.4.2014
.@rsf_rwb on Eastern Ukraine: "These latest abductions have taken attacks on journalists to a new, intolerable level" http://t.co/m7r6Sb34qy
— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) April 25, 2014
09:45
25.4.2014
RFE/RL's news desk has more on a reported incident near Odesa:
Regional police say seven people were injured by an explosive device overnight at a pro-Ukrainian checkpoint near Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa.
Russian news agencies quote police as saying a bomb was thrown from a passing car.
The injuries are not said to be life-threatening.
The incident is under investigation.
According to the Reuters news agency, Odesa residents have built several such checkpoints near the town aimed at stopping pro-Russian separatists from entering Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester.
NATO warned last month of a possible Russian military grab for Transdniester following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea.
Russian news agencies quote police as saying a bomb was thrown from a passing car.
The injuries are not said to be life-threatening.
The incident is under investigation.
According to the Reuters news agency, Odesa residents have built several such checkpoints near the town aimed at stopping pro-Russian separatists from entering Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester.
NATO warned last month of a possible Russian military grab for Transdniester following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea.
09:40
25.4.2014
NEW IRI POLL: OPPOSITION TO RUSSIAN MILITARY INTERVENTION STRONG THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, ENTHUSIASM FOR ELECTION HIGH http://t.co/NIugw23vwL
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) April 25, 2014
09:16
25.4.2014
UN rep gives more deets on Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border: artillery, Grad rocket launchers & 200 tanks http://t.co/Wl0NFa8tOA
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) April 25, 2014
08:53
25.4.2014
Courtesy of @DmitryTymchuk footage from Slavyansk https://t.co/cE8SL4ljDV
— Ryskeldi Satke (@RyskeldiSatke) April 25, 2014
08:43
25.4.2014
RFE/RL's news desk has issued this item on some more economic fallout from the Ukraine crisis:
International ratings agency Standard & Poor's has cut Russia's sovereign credit rating a notch to BBB- and kept its outlook negative.
The agency cited a risk of increased capital flight amid the Ukraine crisis for its decision.
Russia saw capital outflows in the first quarter of 2014 double from a year earlier to $50.6 billion over the uncertainty created by the Ukraine crisis.
The government estimates that full-year capital outflows could reach between $70 billion to $100 billion.
Credit ratings are important for the economy because they determine how expensive it will be for a country or company to borrow on international markets.
The agency cited a risk of increased capital flight amid the Ukraine crisis for its decision.
Russia saw capital outflows in the first quarter of 2014 double from a year earlier to $50.6 billion over the uncertainty created by the Ukraine crisis.
The government estimates that full-year capital outflows could reach between $70 billion to $100 billion.
Credit ratings are important for the economy because they determine how expensive it will be for a country or company to borrow on international markets.