Another item from RFE/RL's news desk:
Ukraine Bans Athletes' Participation In Sports Competitions In Russia
The Ukrainian government has ordered its athletes not to take part in any competitions held in Russia, which Kyiv accuses of occupying its territory.
The Ukrainian Youth and Sports Ministry issued a decree March 14 to "prohibit ... the participation of members of the Ukrainian national sports teams in any sports competitions held on the territory of the Russian Federation."
Sports Minister Ihor Zhdanov said he signed the order because "aggressors and offenders must be expelled from the global sports arena," and because of Russia's record of widespread doping in sports.
Zhdanov added that Ukrainian athletes faced "dangerous" conditions in Russia.
He called for international sports federations not to allow competitions in Russia, where there is "systematic neglect of international sports legislation and violations of the code of the World Anti-Doping Agency."
The ministry didn't immediately reply to a request for comment on possible punishments for Ukrainian athletes or teams who break the ban.
Many Ukrainian athletes, especially in Olympic sports, rely indirectly on the government for much of their funding.
The first competition to be affected is next week's final round of the biathlon World Cup in the Russian city of Tyumen.
The Ukrainian team won't take part, and the United States and Czech biathlon teams have also pulled out, saying Russia's record of doping makes it an unsuitable host.
Ukraine didn't qualify for this year's soccer World Cup in Russia, though some Ukrainian players play for Russian clubs.
Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukrainian teams have continued to compete in Russia at events in sports such as boxing and biathlon.
Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Interfax
Here's another item from our news desk:
Putin Visits Annexed Crimea Days Before Election
President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on March 14, four days ahead of Russia's presidential election, and is expected to attend public events to mark the anniversary of the March 16, 2014, referendum in the peninsula used by Moscow to justify the annexation of the region from Ukraine.
Before arriving in Crimea, Putin visited the construction site of a bridge that is expected to link the annexed peninsula with Russian territories across the Kerch Strait. The construction of the bridge started in 2016.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Putin's trip to Crimea would be his last major campaign event before the March 18 vote.
In reaction to Putin's visit, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the move was "an extremely dangerous provocation" and called on the European Union to impose sanctions against "those who organized Russian presidential elections events on a Ukrainian territory."
Putin's government moved swiftly to seize control of Crimea in March 2014 after Moscow-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country following months of street demonstrations by pro-Western Ukrainians.
Russia sent troops without insignia to Crimea and orchestrated the takeover of government bodies, before holding the referendum on March 16, 2014.
In March last year, Russian lawmakers moved the date of the presidential election from March 11 to March 18 -- the fourth anniversary of what Moscow describes as the formal accession of Crimea into the Russian Federation.
Eight candidates are on the ballot in the presidential vote. But Putin -- who has been president or prime minister of Russia since 1999 -- appears certain to win another six-year term as president.
Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS, and UNIAN
From the Lithuanian foreign minister: