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Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya speaks to the UN General Assembly on March 27.
Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya speaks to the UN General Assembly on March 27.

Live Blog: UN Backs Ukraine Integrity

Final Summary For March 27

-- The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution that affirms Ukraine's territorial integrity.

-- The IMF has announced "a staff-level agreement" with Kyiv on assistance of $14 billion-$18 billion in conjunction with a reform program that will "unlock" up to $27 billion over the next two years, pending final approval next month. Tthe U.S. Congress has also passed an aid bill for Ukraine.

-- Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko has announced plans to run for president.

-- Members of the Right Sector have been holding a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament building to vent their anger at the killing of prominent member Oleksander Muzychko earlier in the week.

-- Six Ukrainian military officers detained by pro-Russian troops in Crimea have been released, including Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, but five others are still being held captive.

-- Anonymous sources quoted by CNN say U.S. intelligence "concludes it is more likely than previously thought that Russian forces will enter eastern Ukraine."

-- U.S. President Barack Obama, in the keynote speech of his visit to Europe, chided Russia for its use of "brute force" in Ukraine and vowed that a determined alliance of the United States and Europe will prevail over time.


*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
14:27 18.3.2014
Russia's State Duma could vote on annexing Crimea as soon as tomorrow.

14:31 18.3.2014
Handle this report with care.
14:34 18.3.2014
Media reports say 110,000 people have already gathered on Red Square to celebrate annexation of Crimea. Police says crowds still flocking in.

14:38 18.3.2014
14:39 18.3.2014
14:46 18.3.2014
RFE/RL Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak just filed this news brief:

The North Atlantic Council has expressed full solidarity with Poland and all other NATO allies that feel under threat from the situation in Ukraine. It was also confirmed that a NATO-Russia Council will take place on March 19.

Poland on March 17 called for the North Atlantic Council to convene under Article 4, which states that NATO nations “will consult whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.”

The meeting, which is continuing, is currently discussing preparatory work. The NATO ambassadors have, however, stressed that they to support all international efforts to promote a political solution to crisis and maintain all political channels of dialogue with Russia.

Article 4 consultations have been called three times in the past, always by Turkey. The first instance was in 2003 in relation to the war in Iraq, then twice in 2012 due to the Syrian crisis.
14:53 18.3.2014
Masked, armed men raided a car showroom in Simferopol before kidnapping Crimean Tatar journalists reporting live on the takeover.

The assailants have since freed the reporters but kept their camera.

The car showroom is linked to Ukrainian pro-Maidan politician Petro Poroshenko.
14:56 18.3.2014
Crimea's leader has just tweeted "it's time for the South East"

15:03 18.3.2014
"All the Soviet clichés and complexes have been revived." Russian sociologist Lev Gudkov on Russian public support for Crimea's annexation:

15:22 18.3.2014

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