09:48
12.3.2014
RFE/RL's Russian Service is reporting that LDPR lawmaker Roman Khudyakov has asked state prosecutors to examine Mikhail Khodorkovsky's March 10 speech in Kyiv for possible extremist sentiment.
Khudyakov says Khodorkovsky, speaking before a packed hall of university students, accused Russia of distributing false propaganda about recent events in Ukraine and giving the former government of Viktor Yanukovych the go-ahead to shoot at protesters during clashes in Kyiv.
Khudyakov said the actions constitute criminal behavior under Russian libel law. The Russian State Duma has also noted that Khodorkovsky, who was released from jail in December following a presidential pardon, publicly promised not to engage in political activities.
09:24
12.3.2014
In the Crimean "referendum," the local election commission is requiring journalists "not to distribute materials of a negative character." Only positive.
На крымском "референдуме" местный ЦИК требует от журналистов "не распространять материалы негативного характера". Можно только позитивного
— Ilya Varlamov (@varlamov) March 12, 2014
09:15
12.3.2014
76 years ago today, the nazi anschluss of Austria occored. It'd be really awkward if there was a historical parallel with #Crimea.
— Vladimir Putin (@DarthPutinKGB) March 12, 2014
09:12
12.3.2014
Meanwhile at Simferopol airport, all flights with the exception of Moscow are cancelled pic.twitter.com/AecKIKMQXx
— Russian Market (@russian_market) March 12, 2014
08:56
12.3.2014
Reuters photo gallery of images from Crimea:
Фотогалерея. Крымский кризис http://t.co/0pkoE6BanB pic.twitter.com/F7MzxpvWEz
— Агентство Рейтер (@reuters_russia) March 12, 2014
08:48
12.3.2014
Mark Mackinnon reports for the "Globe and Mail" from Odesa, where fears of a Russian invasion are mounting.
He writes:
"Odesa still feels like the city Catherine the Great envisioned, a southern St. Petersburg. Residents speak Russian and think fondly of Russia, or did until recent events. The scenic waterfront is dominated by a statue of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived briefly here, and the 142-metre-long Potemkin Staircase that was immortalized in film by Sergei Eisenstein. The region’s economy is dependent on the tens of thousands of Russian tourists who come every year to enjoy the region's sandy beaches and relatively balmy climate.
"But unlike Crimea, which only became part of Ukraine in 1954, the majority of Odesans are ethnic Ukrainians who have come to treasure their distance and independence from Moscow."
He writes:
"Odesa still feels like the city Catherine the Great envisioned, a southern St. Petersburg. Residents speak Russian and think fondly of Russia, or did until recent events. The scenic waterfront is dominated by a statue of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived briefly here, and the 142-metre-long Potemkin Staircase that was immortalized in film by Sergei Eisenstein. The region’s economy is dependent on the tens of thousands of Russian tourists who come every year to enjoy the region's sandy beaches and relatively balmy climate.
"But unlike Crimea, which only became part of Ukraine in 1954, the majority of Odesans are ethnic Ukrainians who have come to treasure their distance and independence from Moscow."
08:41
12.3.2014
Welcome to Simferopol. These friendly men are here for your own safety. pic.twitter.com/r1Tm2kkJw8
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) March 12, 2014
22:23
11.3.2014
We are winding up the blog for the night. Here's our wrap of the day's news. See you tomorrow.
21:29
11.3.2014
Thanks God three female activists of @automaidan that were kidnapped few days ago are now free.
— Kateryna_Kruk (@Kateryna_Kruk) March 11, 2014
21:16
11.3.2014
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has given more detail about the call between John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov:
"[U.S. State] Secretary [John] Kerry, during [his] call [with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] this morning, made clear that any further escalatory steps will make the window for diplomacy more difficult. He also reiterated his willingness to continue to engage with Foreign Minister Lavrov, including this week, but that the environment has to be right and the goal must be to protect the immunity and sovereignty of Ukraine and we didn't see that, obviously, in the responses that we received back."
Psaki also said Kerry told Lavrov it is unacceptable for Russian forces to continue to take matters into their own hands in Ukraine.
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov had told Kerry that any solution to Ukraine's crisis must consider the interests of all Ukrainians and also respect "the rights of residents of Crimea to determine their future."
Both sides said their top diplomats were ready to continue talks.