19:00
17.4.2014
Now Kerry has weighed in:
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has confirmed that the four parties at the talks in Geneva have agreed to the deployment of an OSCE mission to oversee de-escalation in Ukraine.
Kerry said Ukrainian authorities have also agreed to grant amnesty to protesters who illegally occupied property, excluding those found guilty of capital offenses.
Kerry said Ukrainian authorities have also agreed to grant amnesty to protesters who illegally occupied property, excluding those found guilty of capital offenses.
19:21
17.4.2014
19:22
17.4.2014
Former soldiers, reservists, as well as people with no military experience are forming a volunteer battalion in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk to counter pro-Russia separatists in the region. Video by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
19:25
17.4.2014
And here's a short wrap on the agreement:
Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the European Union have announced agreement on measures aimed at defusing the crisis in Ukraine.
After daylong talks April 17 in Geneva, the parties called on all illegal armed groups across Ukraine to disband, to stop occupying public buildings, and to refrain from violence.
Officials said Ukrainian authorities have also agreed to grant amnesty to protesters who illegally occupied property during Ukraine’s unrest, excluding those found guilty of capital offenses.
The four parties also agreed to the deployment of an OSCE mission to oversee de-escalation in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized the call to disband illegal armed groups applied to all groups across Ukraine, including ones that support the new authorities in Kyiv.
The four parties also condemned all activity in Ukraine seeking to discriminate on the basis of ethnicity or religion.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry mentioned a reported anti-Jewish incident in eastern Ukraine, and a threat to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Kerry said that if the four-party agreement collapses, the United States will have no choice but to impose further measures aimed at punishing Russia.
After daylong talks April 17 in Geneva, the parties called on all illegal armed groups across Ukraine to disband, to stop occupying public buildings, and to refrain from violence.
Officials said Ukrainian authorities have also agreed to grant amnesty to protesters who illegally occupied property during Ukraine’s unrest, excluding those found guilty of capital offenses.
The four parties also agreed to the deployment of an OSCE mission to oversee de-escalation in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized the call to disband illegal armed groups applied to all groups across Ukraine, including ones that support the new authorities in Kyiv.
The four parties also condemned all activity in Ukraine seeking to discriminate on the basis of ethnicity or religion.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry mentioned a reported anti-Jewish incident in eastern Ukraine, and a threat to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Kerry said that if the four-party agreement collapses, the United States will have no choice but to impose further measures aimed at punishing Russia.
19:50
17.4.2014
The story about Jews being ordered to register in Donetsk, where pro-Russia militants have taken over government buildings, is a murky one, and hard to confirm.
However, it's been given more credibility now that John Kerry has weighed in. From AFP:
And now the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
However, it's been given more credibility now that John Kerry has weighed in. From AFP:
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday notices were sent to Jews in a Ukrainian city asking them to identify themselves as Jews, a move he condemned as "grotesque".
"In the year 2014, after all of the miles travelled and all of the journey of history, this is not just intolerable, it's grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable," he told reporters after crisis talks in Geneva on Ukraine.
"In the year 2014, after all of the miles travelled and all of the journey of history, this is not just intolerable, it's grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable," he told reporters after crisis talks in Geneva on Ukraine.
And now the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
20:03
17.4.2014
In the New Republic, Julia Ioffe tells everyone to calm down as Ukraine is not ordering the Jews to register.
08:01
18.4.2014
Good morning. Starting up the live blog for another day. In case you missed it yesterday:
Deal Reached At Ukraine Crisis Talks
Ukraine Restricting Russian Males From Entering Country
Kramatorsk Dispatch: Humiliating Capitulation Dampens Troops' Morale
Deal Reached At Ukraine Crisis Talks
Ukraine Restricting Russian Males From Entering Country
Kramatorsk Dispatch: Humiliating Capitulation Dampens Troops' Morale
08:08
18.4.2014
08:14
18.4.2014
A fascinating follow-up on the anti-Semitic flyers in Donetsk, arguing that the leaflets might have been plagiarized from the work of two brothers who wrote science-fiction.
"The same site also noted that the language in both documents leans heavily on a play by the Strugatsky brothers, called “Jews of the city of Peter, or Sad conversation by candlelight.” Arkady and Boris Strugatsky were a famous Russian science-fiction writing pair, and the forumdaily.com post surmises that whoever created the two documents must have been very familiar with the works of the two brothers, and is most likely a well-read individual."
08:32
18.4.2014