The concludes our live blogging for Monday, February 2. We'll close with this wrap-up from our newsroom:

Lavrov Claims Obama's Remarks Prove U.S. Backed Ukraine 'Coup'

Good morning. We'll start our live blog today with this item from RFE/RL's news desk:

The pro-government Aidar volunteer battalion has staged a protest in downtown Kyiv against a decision to disband the unit.

Some 300 people, many wearing military camouflage uniforms, gathered outside the Ukrainian Defense Ministry building on February 2 after attending a ceremony for members of the unit killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The group blocked traffic in the area and some of them set tires on fire near the entrance to the ministry building.

The Defense Ministry's press service denied that the volunteer unit was being disbanded and said the "organizational changes" being made to the Aidar battalion did not involve any changes in personnel.

The protesters had left the scene by evening and traffic was again moving in the area.

The Ukrainian government has been trying to exert more control over volunteer battalions, some of which have been accused by international rights groups of committing crimes in the conflict areas of eastern Ukraine, including torture and executions.

(UNIAN, TASS, Interfax)

This U.S. senator seems to be in favor of sending lethal aid to Ukraine:

Here's a video report from VOA about how the conflict has divided people in the Luhansk district of eastern Ukraine: