12:09
16.4.2014
Leslie H. Gelb, writing for "The Daily Beast," has an interesting take on CIA chief John Brennan's visit to Kyiv last week, and the Kremlin's reaction to it:
Thus the yelps emanating from Moscow in the last two days have been both comforting and worrisome. Comforting in that they show that our intended message hit the target and stung. Worrisome because since the Brennan visit, Putin seems to be secretly sending in more troops to Ukraine and edging closer to action. “We would like, in particular, to understand the meaning of these reports about CIA Director Brennan’s recent visit to Kiev,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “So far we haven’t received any intelligible explanations.”
Read more here
11:49
16.4.2014
All in all, only a few of the "green men" in Sloviansk resemble Russian regulars. Some from Crimea, some local. Odd uniforms, odd weapons.
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) April 16, 2014
11:37
16.4.2014
Our correspondent in Brussels, Rikard Jozwiak has sent us this NATO update:
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the alliance is strengthening its military presence on its eastern borders in response to the crisis in Ukraine.
Speaking after a meeting in Brussels of the North Atlantic Council, Rasmussen said there will be military deployments by sea, air, and land "within days."
He said there will be "more planes in the air, more ships on the water, more readiness on the land."
Although he didn't go into operational details and numbers, he said there will be more air policing in the Baltic region and that allied ships will be deployed in the Baltic Sea, east Mediterranean, and elsewhere if required.
He stressed that the move is about "defense, deterrence, and de-escalation" and was "entirely in line with our international commitments."
He said NATO hopes talks scheduled in Geneva tomorrow will "pave the way for a peaceful and political solution to the crisis."
Speaking after a meeting in Brussels of the North Atlantic Council, Rasmussen said there will be military deployments by sea, air, and land "within days."
He said there will be "more planes in the air, more ships on the water, more readiness on the land."
Although he didn't go into operational details and numbers, he said there will be more air policing in the Baltic region and that allied ships will be deployed in the Baltic Sea, east Mediterranean, and elsewhere if required.
He stressed that the move is about "defense, deterrence, and de-escalation" and was "entirely in line with our international commitments."
He said NATO hopes talks scheduled in Geneva tomorrow will "pave the way for a peaceful and political solution to the crisis."
11:35
16.4.2014
Is this real? Some people in our newsroom are sceptical...
11:29
16.4.2014
No indication that Ukrainian paratroopers defected. Saw them coming out to fetch belongings from APCs, accompanied by armed "green men".
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) April 16, 2014
11:12
16.4.2014
Video from Reuters showing armored military vehicles bearing the Russian flag driving into the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk.
11:00
16.4.2014
In #EP on #Russia - Accepting logic of spheres of influence would mean ignoring lessons of last century in Europe http://t.co/9PNyzBvS2P
— Štefan Füle (@StefanFuleEU) April 16, 2014
10:58
16.4.2014
#ukraine was just in occupied town hall in Donetsk, normal council meeting going on with armed men all around, weird
— Gulliver Cragg (@gullivercragg) April 16, 2014
10:37
16.4.2014
Oleh Tsaryov, a pro-Russia lawmaker from Viktor Yanukovych's party of regions has hit back at those who have been critical of alleged Moscow-backed provocateurs and agitators in eastern Ukraine by drawing attention to what he calls a fascist rally, which was held in Kyiv on Sunday:
10:25
16.4.2014
Ukrainian vehicle re-branded pic.twitter.com/ziQko64nE0
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) April 16, 2014