#Austria to give ten drones to OSCE mission to monitor situation in east #Ukraine http://t.co/N5qbxCOE8H
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) September 15, 2014
Statement on the reported holding of local "elections" in #Crimea http://t.co/MIIx7YfaUe #Ukraine
— Maja Kocijančič (@AshtonSpox_Maja) September 15, 2014
Number of IDPs from Crimea and Donbas exceeds 310,000 people UNHCR http://t.co/de14i3wU6I #ukraine
— Ian Bateson (@ianbateson) September 15, 2014
Here are the latest situation maps for eastern Ukraine from both Kyiv's Security and Defense Council and the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR):
THE SITUATION IN THE EASTERN REGIONS OF UKRAINE – 15.09.14 http://t.co/hso4sNO5pP pic.twitter.com/OviCZCHbZz
— NSDC of Ukraine (@NSDC_ua) September 15, 2014
Карта боевых действий 12-14 сентября pic.twitter.com/EkpvfxjOcM
— ДНР Новороссия (@press_dnr) September 15, 2014
Our news desk is reporting that Vladimir Putin's United Russia party seems to be pretty popular in Crimea, at least according to official figures:
Russian ultranationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky claims regional elections in five Russian constituencies, including Moscow, were rigged.
Zhirinovsky's statement today came amid reports that the ruling United Russia party is winning more than 70 percent of the votes in parliamentary elections in Crimea, which Russia controversially annexed from Ukraine in March.
Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is running second in Crimea with just over 8 percent of the vote.
Russia's Communist Party also refused to recognize the election results in Kirov Oblast.
United Russia candidates are reportedly winning the overhwhelming majority of contests held in the 84 Russian regions where general and local elections were held on September 14.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the elections in Crimea "prove that powers in Russia are based on legal procedures."
Ukraine has called the elections in Crimea "illegal."
(AFP, Interfax)
Statement by Catherine Ashton on the reported holding of local "elections" in Crimea "The European Union... http://t.co/74T6DMRBMy
— EU Delegation UA (@EUDelegationUA) September 15, 2014
Lutuhyne, where Ukrainian army convoy was obliterated Aug 31st. pic.twitter.com/0WKPNr3vaK
— Paul Adams (@BBCPaulAdams) September 15, 2014
Ukraine 'repels rebels at airport' http://t.co/a0nC3a5dU1
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) September 15, 2014
if you don't believe Russians will follow through on drastic threats, read this @shaunwalker7 piece from a year ago http://t.co/E0xO2vh2r4
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) September 15, 2014
Via @nickrudnev: Photos from Rapid Trident. @USArmyEurope flickr https://t.co/Cdz1T4j01S
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) September 15, 2014