As RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports (in Russian), the Ukrainian Security Service says it has thwarted an attempt to set up another "people's republic" in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk. Six locals were arrested and guns and explosives were seized.
From our news desk:
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Russia must do more to end the crisis in Ukraine.
Kerry said he welcomed the move by Russia's upper house of parliament on June 25 that cancels authorization for military intervention in Ukraine, but said the vote "can be reversed in 10 minutes and everyone knows that."
Kerry said Russia must take "concrete" steps to resolve Ukraine's crisis.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin must publicly call for pro-Russian separatists to give up their weapons, end Moscow's support for them, and help secure the release of hostages.
Kerry said the downing of a Ukrainian helicopter on June 24 that killed nine people was possible because separatists have Russian weapons.
He said tougher sanctions will be imposed against Russia if Putin fails to make real commitments on the ground in Ukraine in the "next days and weeks." (AFP, dpa)
As "Ukrayinska pravda" reports, Ukraine has officially registered 10,500 displaced persons from the Crimea and 11,777 persons from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions (in Ukrainian). It adds that Russia says it has registered more than that.
Bloomberg: #Merkel says sanctions on table amid slow #Ukraine progress http://t.co/7sahFHVwcn #Russia
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) June 25, 2014
Poroshenko says Ukrainian will remain only constitutionally-enshrined language, despite decentralization. http://t.co/otjOUymbb3
— Annabelle Chapman (@AB_Chapman) June 25, 2014
Train loaded with these sped by today near Russian town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky not far from #Ukraine border. pic.twitter.com/qn2KK2Ljdb
— Paul Sonne (@PaulSonne) June 25, 2014