Reuters video of the scene as at least three people were killed and several more injured when shells hit a clinic in the separatist-held city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, today. Russian-backed separatists blamed Ukrainian government forces for the attack, although this could not be independently verified. The deaths came a day after the UN said the death toll in Ukraine now "exceeded" 5,358 people.
Svetlana Davydova, the Russian mother of seven accused of treason for allegedly reporting to the Ukrainian Embassy about possible Russian troop movements and released on Tuesday from a Moscow prison, speaking to Reuters in Vyazma.
"I felt that I was going to see my family finally. I can even say I cried because to be without my little baby for so long, not being able to hug my little ones, this is such stress. This is hell actually that you are isolated from society and cannot call or communicate at all with your loved ones. And you know nothing about how they are doing. This is just horrible."
The eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve has been under siege for weeks as military forces trade fire with pro-Russian separatists. Civilians are taking shelter in their basements as shells land close by. With little hope of a cease-fire, many residents are fleeing the town with the help of military servicemen and volunteers. Petr Shelomovskiy filed this collection of images for RFE/RL's Current Time TV program.
Tearful Good-byes As Residents Evacuate Ukrainian Town
European Commission Vice President and Commissioner for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic speaking today at the EU Commission daily briefing on Russia's decision to scrap the South Stream project and instead build pipelines to Turkey:
"When I was Moscow, when we discussed this issue I think the arguments I heard most often was that the primary reasoning for this decision was to bypass or avoid Ukraine.
"The reasoning for that was that Ukraine was the reason for different kind of stoppages of gas supply in previous times and that huge investments were needed for the renovation of the gas transportation system and gas storage in Ukraine and these were the reasons which were presented to me.
"Of course I didn't agree [with them] because I was informing the Russian counterpart that Ukraine was fully aware of the need for energy reform. Ukrainian representatives were fully aware of the need to restructure, modernize Naftohaz which is the major Ukrainian energy gas company and I was also arguing by the fact that through this route historically it was more than 100 billion cubic meters [of gas] which was shipped from Russia to Central and Western Europe and it just simply would not viable that like this you can change everything.
"I was arguing also with the fact that the European Union and the international financial institutions are going to help Ukraine to modernize the energy system, to renovate the gas transmission systems so really such a radical change would definitely not be economical."
Details via the newsroom on the Verkhovna Rada's mostly symbolic takedown of former President Yanukovych:
Ukraine's parliament has adopted legislation stripping Viktor Yanukovych of his presidential title.
The decision by the Verkhovna Rada was backed by 281 lawmakers on February 4. It needed 226 votes to pass.
The move deprives Yanukovych of all the benefits enjoyed by former heads of state.
Yanukovych, who triggered mass protests in Kyiv by refusing to sign a deal tightening ties with the EU in November 2013, fled Kyiv on February 21, 2014, and later arrived in Russia.
Lawmakers said Yanukovych must be stripped of his title because he relieved himself of duties as president "in an unconstitutional way" that threatened the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty and led to "mass violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens."
On February 22, 2014, parliament voted to formally remove Yanukovych from his post on the grounds that he was unable to fulfill his duties.
Two days later it issued a warrant for his arrest, accusing him of "mass killing of civilians." (TASS, UNIAN, Kyiv Post)
France not planning to deliver lethal weapons to Ukraine:
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that at least for now, France will not deliver weapons to Ukraine to fight pro-Russian separatists.
Le Drian, speaking at a news conference in Paris with Canadian counterpart Robert Nicholson on February 4, said: "We think that we need to find a political solution to this crisis."
He added, "We have no intention of supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine at this time."
On Feburary 3, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said her government did not back arming Ukraine with "deadly, lethal weapons" to fight the separatists.
The French and German statements came amid U.S. media reports that Washington was considering supplying lethal defensive arms to Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on February 3 he did not have the "slightest doubt that the decision to supply Ukraine with weapons will be made by the United States as well as by other partners of ours." (AFP, Reuters, AP)