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Aleksandr Malykhin, chairman of Luhansk's separatist election commission, announces results of the referendum in the Luhansk region on May 12.
Aleksandr Malykhin, chairman of Luhansk's separatist election commission, announces results of the referendum in the Luhansk region on May 12.

Live Blog: Crisis In Ukraine (Archive)

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-- 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."

-- Insurgents in eastern Ukraine said nearly 90 percent of voters backed self-rule in the votes.

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
08:32 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.
08:47 25.4.2014
09:28 25.4.2014
09:29 25.4.2014
Another update from RFE/RL's news desk:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk has accused Russia of seeking to start World War III with its actions in Ukraine.

He said Russia aims to occupy Ukraine "militarily and politically" and spark a war in Ukraine that "will lead to a military conflict in Europe."

Yatsenyuk was speaking to the cabinet on April 25 in remarks broadcast live.

Yatsenyuk's comments came as acting Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval said Russian troop maneuvers have come within one kilometer of Ukraine's border, adding that Ukraine's armed forces stand "ready to repel any aggression."

Russia has come under international criticism for massing an estimated 40,000 troops along the Ukrainian border as pro-Russian rebels continue to occupy government buildings in a dozen eastern Ukrainian towns.

Moscow says it is simply conducting military exercises.
09:46 25.4.2014
09:47 25.4.2014
10:21 25.4.2014
10:27 25.4.2014
Our news desk has another update, this time on Angela Merkel's latest comments:
A German government spokesman says Chancellor Angela Merkel believes Russia's actions regarding Ukraine since last week's Geneva agreement have been "absolutely disappointing."

The spokesman said Merkel conveyed her "great concern" to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call today.

The Geneva statement, intended to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine, was agreed on April 17 by the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States, but few measures have been implemented so far.
10:34 25.4.2014
Let's not forget that a national election is still supposed to be held next month:
10:35 25.4.2014

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