-- Self-appointed leaders of the Ukrainian separatist region of Donetsk appealed to Russia to consider absorbing it to "restore historic justice" and to send in troops.
-- Pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk said they would not allow voting for the May 25 presidential election to be conducted.
-- Diplomats say the European Union agreed to impose sanctions against 13 additional individuals and two companies, believed to be the first time the EU has targeted companies over the Ukraine crisis.
-- Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov called the votes a "sham" and the United States said they were illegal and merely "an attempt to create further division and disorder in the country."
-- RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service said one of its affiliate radio stations in Donetsk was taken off the air by gunmen and replaced by a pro-Russian broadcaster.
-- The Kremlin said Ukrainian officials in Kyiv should hold talks with pro-Russian separatists on the results of the self-rule referendums, adding that it respected the "expression of the people's will."
EU to add new names to Russian sanctions list in coming days-source
BRUSSELS, April 26 (Reuters) - The European Union is poised to add new names to its list of Russians subject to sanctions over the coming days and will hold emergency talks on Monday, EU sources said.
Leaders of the Group of Seven major economies agreed on Saturday to impose extra sanctions on Russia over its intervention in Ukraine, where armed pro-Moscow separatists detained a group of international observers and accused them of being NATO spies.
"The sanctions that will come on the European side in the next days will be the addition of new names to the list of individuals subject to asset freezes and a travel ban," a European Commission source said on condition of anonymity.
13:0526.4.2014
Now Latvia complains of Russian agents at work Latvia says Russia trying to use 'provocateurs' in Baltic state http://t.co/NWHP2PWBed
RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia's defence minister said on Friday Russia was trying to stir unrest in the Baltic state by using "specially-trained, professional provocateurs" in the wake of its intervention in Ukraine.
The Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now NATO and EU member states, were once part of the Soviet Union and have substantial Russian-speaking minorities, like Ukraine.
"There are risks that Russia might try to destabilise the situation in the region," Raimonds Vejonis, Latvia's defence minister, told Reuters in an interview.
"We see it very clearly in Ukraine's case, where they have acted and are still trying to escalate the situation in different ways," the minister added.
"They are trying to increase negative sentiment in society through certain specially-trained, professional provocateurs."
As an example, he mentioned comments by Aleksandr Gaponenko, an activist for non-citizens' rights in Latvia, to Norwegian television that Latvia's government intended "to suppress protests with the power of army".
13:0326.4.2014
The Kyiv Post has a write up on Igor Strelkov, an alleged Russian Military Intelligence officer (GRU) officer believed to be leading the "Donbass Peoples' Militia"
The man who Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) wants most in eastern Ukraine, alleged Russian Military Intelligence Colonel Igor Strelkov, has emerged beyond command-and-control recordings to give a news conference in the restive city of Sloviansk on April 26, reported Life News, a Russian media outlet.
Video footage shows him dressed in military fatigue with a Saint George ribbon tied to his left arm as the self-proclaimed commander of the “Donbass People’s Militia.” Sitting beside Denis Pushilin, who calls him the chairman of “People’s Republic of Donbass,” the Russian acknowledged that the SBU on April 25 had detained self-proclaimed Sloviansk Deputy Mayor Ihor Perepychayenko in Donetsk Airport.
Meanwhile, Strelkov's "appearance" is generating a lot of buzz on Twitter. Some choice tweets:
Strelkov is the same 'Strelok' from intercepted convos who led an op during which a Ukrainian SBU officer was killed, check #grusloviansk
Workers in Crimea today removing a huge Sevastopol monument to military and civic leader Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, an icon of Ukrainian national identity and culture who organized and led troops against Moscow in the 17th century.
12:4226.4.2014
From Konstantin Rykov's Twitter feed: "An interesting map of Ukraine showing the language residents use when posting on VKontakte."
Интерактивная карта Украины, которая показывает, каким языком пользуются жители этой страны, когда пишут в ВКонтакте. pic.twitter.com/BRV4xh6CzL
(URGENT):EU diplomats set for emergency talks on Monday to discuss Russia sanctions
BRUSSELS, April 26 (Reuters) - Senior EU diplomats have agreed to hold emergency talks in Brussels on Monday to discuss the deterioration on the ground in Ukraine and extra sanctions on Russia, EU sources said on Saturday.
Three sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a meeting was expected to take place around midday on Monday.
Leaders of the Group of Seven major economies agreed on Saturday at a meeting in South Korea to impose extra sanctions on Russia over its intervention in Ukraine, where armed pro-Moscow separatists detained a group of international observers and accused them of being NATO spies.
12:1426.4.2014
The Kremlin now says Vladimir Putin has not cut off contacts with BArack Obama. This from "The Kyiv Post" (via Interfax-Ukraine):
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied reports alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama have stopped their dialogue because of the situation in Ukraine.
12:0726.4.2014
U.S. Senators John McCain, John Barrasso, John Hoeven and Ron Johnson pen op-ed in "The Washington Post" - "It Is Time For The West To Move Ahead Without Russia."
Some choice quotes:
We recently visited Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova. In each country, our allies want a stronger immediate response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its ongoing subversion of Ukraine. They also believe, as we do, that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest acts of aggression require an enduring strategic response from the United States, Europe and NATO. It should be clear to all that Putin’s Russia has taken a dark turn. There is no resetting this relationship. We cannot return to business as usual...
[snip]
Ultimately, Putin’s actions in Ukraine require a strategic response. This does not mean a new Cold War. But it does require recognizing Putin’s geopolitical challenge to the post-Cold War order in Europe and preparing for a more competitive relationship with Russia.
NATO must recommit to its core missions of deterrence and collective defense. This requires a rebalancing of the alliance’s force posture and presence. NATO military capabilities must be increased and more evenly distributed across the alliance, including a more robust and persistent presence in Central Europe and the Baltic countries. Some steps in this direction are underway; these actions must be sustainable and enduring...
