Crackdown in effect?
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office charges eastern mayor:
U.S. Congressman announces bill to aid Ukraine:
A senior U.S. lawmaker says he plans to introduce legislation that will offer "greater assistance" to Ukraine and increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Kremlin's interference in Ukraine.
U.S. Representative Eliot Engel (Democrat-New York) announced the planned legislation on March 4, telling a Congressional hearing that it will "offer Ukraine greater assistance on a variety of fronts" and "dial up the pressure on Vladimir Putin for his reckless, destructive and destabilizing policies."
"And it will send a clear message that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression," Engel, the ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, told the hearing.
When contacted by RFE/RL, Engel's office did not provide immediate details on the draft bill or when it would be introduced.
Dozens of people are feared dead following a coal-mine blast in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. One miner, Ivan Lazarenko, described the scene at the mine from a hospital ward where he was being treated for serious burns. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has reportedly issued another appeal to Moscow for the release of Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko, with Interfax saying he sent a letter to Vladimir Putin. Two days ago, he and the Spanish and Polish foreign ministers issued a similar call.
From a Foreign Ministry communications official:
More detail on Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's accusation that pro-Russian forces are preventing rescue teams from getting to the scene of a mining tragedy in Donetsk. These remarks are from a cabinet meeting in Kyiv:
"Today early in the morning I gave instructions to the State Emergency Service and Energy Ministry to dispatch brigades of mine rescuers to provide assistance in pulling miners out from underground, in order to give them a chance to overcome the consequences of this accident and to save the lives of miners."
"Six brigades, each composed of ten people, have been dispatched, but Russian terrorists did not allow Ukrainian mine-rescue brigades to reach the site and to help pulling out people and saving their lives."
"That is why I am publicly calling on the Russian Federation -- order these rascals to allow our mine-rescue brigades to save the lives of miners."