-- 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."
RT, citing ITAR-TASS, is reporting that Ukraine has barred Russian commercial flights to Donetsk and Kharkiv.
11:012.5.2014
If you can't get enough, "The Interpreter" magazine's Ukraine liveblog is now up and running for today. But keep an eye on us too, please!
10:552.5.2014
Russia's Foreign Ministry has picked up on an earlier RIA-Novosti report that foreigners speaking English are involved in the Ukrainian security operation near Slovyansk. "We insist that any external interference in the events in Ukraine is impermissable," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 2.
The statement said that "it is well-known that so-called private military organizations do not work abroad without the permission of the U.S. State Department."
10:512.5.2014
RFE/RL's Russian Service managed to speak with a citizen of Slovyansk who asked to be identified only as Vyacheslav.
"Soldiers have completely blockaded the city and traffic in the city is completely shut down. No cars, no trains are moving," he said. "There was a siren at 4:30 this morning and after that a sweep of the city began. We expected something like this. We live at the other end of the city and there hasn't been anything like that on our side -- no military activity. But in other places it has been quite serious. They were shooting from helicopters. We do not plan to go outside today. The city is empty now. We are calling one another to find out what is happening in other districts. Everywhere it is deserted. Ukrainian forces are practically on the edge of town. If they find someone on the street, they advise them to get home quickly and stay inside. Almost everything is closed in the city, although the store next to us is open. But most stores are closed. We want everything to just end quickly. There are a lot of unhappy people in the city. Practically the entire city is paralyzed. Business is shut down; schools are closed. There is no fear, but we are tired."
10:422.5.2014
CBS news journalist Clarissa Ward tweets that she and her crew have been released by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine:
One more photo from the May Day parade in Moscow's Red Square. This one says: "Breakdown of Darwin's theory. A big-eared black monkey is trying to rule the world."
10:322.5.2014
Reuters is reporting that Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, has commented on the May 2 events in Ukraine.
"We are following with growing concern the events in eastern Ukraine," Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, told reporters.
The EU called for an end to all "illegal actions" by armed separatist groups. "Occupied buildings need to be vacated, all persons illegally detained need to be released, including the OSCE military observers," she said.
10:252.5.2014
The agency "Novosti Donbassa" is reporting that film crews for SkyNews and CBS are missing in the Slovyansk area. "Contact was lost with them after they headed toward Konstantinovka," the report says. Among the missing journalists are Clarissa Ward, Erin Lyall, Andy Srevenson, and Geoff Mabberley.
Earlier, there were reports on Twitter that BuzzFeed journalist Mike Giglio and his fixer were missing in the area.
10:122.5.2014
A gallery of photos from today's operations around Slovyansk, published on the Ukraine liveblog of RFE/RL's Russian Service.
