12:14
25.3.2014
The fates of up to six Ukrainian military officers remain unknown following the takeover of Crimean bases by Russian forces. The commander of a Ukrainian air base in Crimea, Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, was captured on March 22 after Russian forces stormed the Belbek air base. As we noted earlier, Mamchur's wife, Larisa, told our Ukrainian Service that she has had no communication with her husband but believes he remains under arrest. Mamchur's aides believe he is being held in the Russian Black Sea Fleet's home port of Sevastopol in Crimea.
Yesterday, Russian forces stormed a Ukrainian military base in Feodosia and captured the commander of a marine battalion, Dmytro Delyatytskyy, and his deputy, Rostislav Lomtev.
The New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says three other Ukrainian military officers and three activists also remain missing in Crimea.
Yesterday, Russian forces stormed a Ukrainian military base in Feodosia and captured the commander of a marine battalion, Dmytro Delyatytskyy, and his deputy, Rostislav Lomtev.
The New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says three other Ukrainian military officers and three activists also remain missing in Crimea.
12:12
25.3.2014
FYI: New Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhaylo Koval, the former head of the State Border Service, was briefly kidnapped earlier this month.
Here's the Interfax report:
Colonel-General of the State Border Service of Ukraine Mykhailo Koval, who has been previously kidnapped by unidentified persons in Yalta, has established contact to inform that he is safe and well.
"Colonel-General of Ukraine's State Border Service Mykhailo Koval has been freed thanks to taken measures. He has established contact to inform that he is safe and well and continues his work in Crimea, the State Border Service's press service said on Wednesday.
Koval was reported to have been kidnapped by 40 unidentified men not far from the State Border Service's Yalta coast guard boats division on Wednesday. Koval was surrounded by a group of men, predominantly bikers, when he left the exit control point with other officers, the press service said. Then he was forced into an SUV, which drove in an unknown direction.
Here's the Interfax report:
Colonel-General of the State Border Service of Ukraine Mykhailo Koval, who has been previously kidnapped by unidentified persons in Yalta, has established contact to inform that he is safe and well.
"Colonel-General of Ukraine's State Border Service Mykhailo Koval has been freed thanks to taken measures. He has established contact to inform that he is safe and well and continues his work in Crimea, the State Border Service's press service said on Wednesday.
Koval was reported to have been kidnapped by 40 unidentified men not far from the State Border Service's Yalta coast guard boats division on Wednesday. Koval was surrounded by a group of men, predominantly bikers, when he left the exit control point with other officers, the press service said. Then he was forced into an SUV, which drove in an unknown direction.
12:07
25.3.2014
Newly appointed acting Defense Minister of #Ukraine Mykhailo Koval. pic.twitter.com/ND8QVxIvfF via @ukrpravda_news
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 25, 2014
12:06
25.3.2014
Just over a week before his death overnight on March 24-25, ultranationalist Right Sector leader Oleksandr Muzychko told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that he was urging the government in Kyiv to fight the "foreign occupation" of his country. Here's a clip from that interview:
11:59
25.3.2014
Yulia Tymoshenko's intercepted phone call makes Victoria Nuland's intercepted phone call sound like a PTA meeting. http://t.co/WjpJ8P2bzi
— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) March 25, 2014
11:53
25.3.2014
From our newsroom:
Ukrainian lawmakers have approved the nomination of General Mykhaylo Koval to replace Igor Tenyukh as acting defense minister. Two hundred and twenty-eight deputies in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada supported the measure; 226 votes were needed. Tenyukh submitted his resignation today amid reports that he had failed to give timely and proper orders and commands to Ukrainian military units in Crimea during its occupation and annexation by Russia. Earlier in the day, a majority of lawmakers had rejected Tenyukh's resignation. Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, requested that Tenyukh be relieved of his duties and replaced by Koval, who is the director of the State Border Service's administration department.
Turchynov on March 24 ordered the Defense Ministry to withdraw all Ukrainian military forces from Crimea.
Ukrainian lawmakers have approved the nomination of General Mykhaylo Koval to replace Igor Tenyukh as acting defense minister. Two hundred and twenty-eight deputies in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada supported the measure; 226 votes were needed. Tenyukh submitted his resignation today amid reports that he had failed to give timely and proper orders and commands to Ukrainian military units in Crimea during its occupation and annexation by Russia. Earlier in the day, a majority of lawmakers had rejected Tenyukh's resignation. Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, requested that Tenyukh be relieved of his duties and replaced by Koval, who is the director of the State Border Service's administration department.
Turchynov on March 24 ordered the Defense Ministry to withdraw all Ukrainian military forces from Crimea.
11:52
25.3.2014
Did Yulia Tymoshenko shoot herself in the foot?
British historian Mark Almond speaks to RT about Yulia Tymoshenko's leaked phone conversation in which she appears to be saying, among other things, "We should grab a gun and kill the goddamned katsaps" -- a derogatory term for Russians.
(Note: Tymoshenko has acknowledged that the phone call is real, but claims her comments were edited to change their meaning.)
"It does a huge amount to undermine the view of her as possibly a compromise candidate, precisely as a kind of wheeler dealer in the gas industry, somebody who had negotiated with Moscow, as somebody who can perhaps act as the figure who can be both plausible to the Ukrainians but also someone who can dampen the tensions, which obviously exist at the moment."
Read the full interview HERE:
11:50
25.3.2014
In a joint statement with Ukraine, the United States has accused Russia of violating its commitments under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum by seizing and annexing Crimea. Washington and Kyiv said they would "not recognize Russia's illegal attempt to annex Crimea." The White House said Russia's actions in Crimea "undermine the foundation of the global security architecture and endanger European peace and security." It also praised Ukraine's 1994 decision to remove all nuclear weapons from its territory and accede to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a nonnuclear-weapon state. The statement comes one day after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Russia's annexation of Crimea could impact the global treaty to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
Here's the entire text, which was issued at the ongoing nuclear summit in The Hague:
Here's the entire text, which was issued at the ongoing nuclear summit in The Hague:
On the occasion of the third Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, the United States and Ukraine today reaffirm their strategic partnership and emphasize the important role of nuclear nonproliferation in that relationship. The United States values its 20-year partnership with Ukraine on these issues. Our nonproliferation partnership dates from Ukraine’s 1994 decision to remove all nuclear weapons from its territory and to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon state. In the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the United States, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed these Ukrainian actions, and they reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine to respect the independence, sovereignty, and existing borders of Ukraine. The United States government reaffirms that commitment today to the new Ukrainian government and the people of Ukraine, including in Crimea. The United States government condemns Russia’s failure to abide by its commitments under the Budapest Memorandum with its unilateral military actions in Ukraine. Russia’s actions undermine the foundation of the global security architecture and endanger European peace and security. Ukraine and the United States emphasize that they will not recognize Russia's illegal attempt to annex Crimea. Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine. The United States will continue to help Ukraine affirm its sovereignty and territorial integrity. As the people of Ukraine work to restore unity, peace, and security to their country, the United States will stand by their side.
The United States and Ukraine reiterate their commitment to upholding their nuclear nonproliferation commitments. The United States recognizes the importance of the 2012 removal of all highly enriched uranium from Ukraine. This removal again highlighted Ukraine’s leadership in nuclear security and nonproliferation, as we collectively work together to secure the world’s vulnerable nuclear material. As part of its support for this effort, the United States committed in 2010 to work with Ukraine to construct a Neutron Source Facility at the Kharkiv Institute for Physics and Technology. This month construction of the Neutron Source Facility was completed. The facility, equipped with the most up-to-date technology to operate at the highest safety standards, provides Ukraine with new research capabilities and the ability to produce industrial and medical isotopes for the benefit of the Ukrainian people.
This state of the art facility is representative of the modern, European state the Government of Ukraine is committed to building. To build on this important cooperation, the United States will continue to provide technical support for the Neutron Source Facility as Ukraine completes the necessary final equipment installation, testing, and start-up to make the facility fully operational as soon as practical.
This successful effort reflects broad U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation on nuclear security and nonproliferation. Our countries recently extended the U.S.-Ukraine Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Umbrella Agreement and the U.S.-Ukraine Agreement Concerning Operational Safety Enhancements, Risk Reduction Measures, and Nuclear Safety Regulation for Civilian Nuclear Facilities in Ukraine.
The United States and Ukraine intend to continue to partner to prevent nuclear proliferation by improving Ukraine’s ability to detect nuclear materials on its borders, to provide physical protection at sites with nuclear or radioactive materials, and to maintain an adequate export control system in order to help realize the goals of the Nuclear Security Summits.
The United States and Ukraine reiterate their commitment to upholding their nuclear nonproliferation commitments. The United States recognizes the importance of the 2012 removal of all highly enriched uranium from Ukraine. This removal again highlighted Ukraine’s leadership in nuclear security and nonproliferation, as we collectively work together to secure the world’s vulnerable nuclear material. As part of its support for this effort, the United States committed in 2010 to work with Ukraine to construct a Neutron Source Facility at the Kharkiv Institute for Physics and Technology. This month construction of the Neutron Source Facility was completed. The facility, equipped with the most up-to-date technology to operate at the highest safety standards, provides Ukraine with new research capabilities and the ability to produce industrial and medical isotopes for the benefit of the Ukrainian people.
This state of the art facility is representative of the modern, European state the Government of Ukraine is committed to building. To build on this important cooperation, the United States will continue to provide technical support for the Neutron Source Facility as Ukraine completes the necessary final equipment installation, testing, and start-up to make the facility fully operational as soon as practical.
This successful effort reflects broad U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation on nuclear security and nonproliferation. Our countries recently extended the U.S.-Ukraine Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Umbrella Agreement and the U.S.-Ukraine Agreement Concerning Operational Safety Enhancements, Risk Reduction Measures, and Nuclear Safety Regulation for Civilian Nuclear Facilities in Ukraine.
The United States and Ukraine intend to continue to partner to prevent nuclear proliferation by improving Ukraine’s ability to detect nuclear materials on its borders, to provide physical protection at sites with nuclear or radioactive materials, and to maintain an adequate export control system in order to help realize the goals of the Nuclear Security Summits.
11:38
25.3.2014
Archive: 160 years ago today we published this article on the risks of a war in Crimea: http://t.co/uZPdU63SSk pic.twitter.com/f6XhNt7cTv
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 25, 2014
11:35
25.3.2014
Act Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh: 4,300 military personnel + 2,200 members of their families want to be evacuated from #Crimea
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) March 25, 2014