17:31
13.3.2014
The recovered records of Viktor Yanukovych continue to provide fresh revelations about his regime's massive monitoring of the Euromaidan movement that ousted him as Ukraine's president.
Natalia Sedletska of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, who has been working on the YanukovychLeaks project, writes that investigators have found a 100-page notebook documenting, in unstinting detail, the cars and drivers participating in Euromaidan's automotive wing, Automaidan.
In particular, the document provides a blow-by-blow account of the December 29 rally outside Yanukovych's Mezhyhirya estate, in which a convoy of some 1,000 automobiles packed with Maidan protesters lined up outside the presidential residence, stalled by a police roadblock.
It follows with concrete data about the cars' owners, as well as the brands, colors, years, number plates, and registration of all the cars involved. Nearly half of the names match up with lawyers' current lists of Maidan protesters who were later arrested on unrelated charges or otherwise subject to illegal persecution. Dozens of other Automaidan activists also had their cars set alight, although it is impossible to prove that it is connected to the secret Mezhyhirya dossier. In total, 129 cars went up in flames in the first 45 days of 2014.
Automaidan activists have yet to compile their own complete list of participants whose cars were set alight or bludgeoned by the Berkut riot police. Even so, at least 13 vehicles featured on a blacklist held by Yanukovych's personal bodyguard, Konstantyn Kobzar, belonged to Automaidan members.
No particular details were revealed about Automaidan's most well-known member, Dmytro Bulatov, who survived a brutal kidnapping ordeal during which his captors drove nails through his hands and severed off part of an ear. Bulatov has since been named the minister for youth and sport in the new Kyiv government. His abduction has yet to be properly investigated.
Watch more of Sedletska's findings in the Yanukovych papers HERE:
18:33
13.3.2014
"Ref-er-en-dum." Small but boisterous (and egg-toting) pro-Russia crowd at the Lenin statue in Donetsk tonight pic.twitter.com/IWjsZKTo9T
â Mike Giglio (@mike_giglio) March 13, 2014
19:03
13.3.2014
Is this a turnaround on the Russian position on OSCE monitors?
The Swiss chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says Russia has changed its position and now supports a plan to send an OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine, including Crimea.
Ambassador Thomas Greminger of Switzerland, which currently chairs the European security body, described this as a possible "big step forward."
However, he said that negotiations with Russia on this issue only started in earnest on Thursday.
Russia had been the only country among the 57 OSCE members not ready to consider such a mission, which was proposed by Switzerland.
The monitoring mission would be separate from the military observer mission currently deployed in Ukraine. An unnamed Western diplomat told dpa that Russia had submitted substantial changes to the Swiss draft mandate.
The OSCE military observers have been denied entry into Crimea at least three times.
Ambassador Thomas Greminger of Switzerland, which currently chairs the European security body, described this as a possible "big step forward."
However, he said that negotiations with Russia on this issue only started in earnest on Thursday.
Russia had been the only country among the 57 OSCE members not ready to consider such a mission, which was proposed by Switzerland.
The monitoring mission would be separate from the military observer mission currently deployed in Ukraine. An unnamed Western diplomat told dpa that Russia had submitted substantial changes to the Swiss draft mandate.
The OSCE military observers have been denied entry into Crimea at least three times.
19:50
13.3.2014
Another journalist detained in Crimea:
A French television station says one of its journalists was briefly detained in Ukraine's Crimea region on Thursday.
A spokesman for Canal+ says that David Geoffrion was detained by pro-Russian gunmen at a military installation in the Crimean capital, Simferopol earlier on Thursday.
Canal+ said Geoffrion was filming a documentary when he was apprehended.The tv station's spokesman said the journalist was freed several hours later, but provided no details.
The incident comes three days after media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said it was "alarmed" by the violation of journalists' rights in Crimea after Ukrainian journalists were arrested.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he may go to Moscow next week for talks with Russian officials about the crisis in Crimea.
A spokesman for Canal+ says that David Geoffrion was detained by pro-Russian gunmen at a military installation in the Crimean capital, Simferopol earlier on Thursday.
Canal+ said Geoffrion was filming a documentary when he was apprehended.The tv station's spokesman said the journalist was freed several hours later, but provided no details.
The incident comes three days after media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said it was "alarmed" by the violation of journalists' rights in Crimea after Ukrainian journalists were arrested.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he may go to Moscow next week for talks with Russian officials about the crisis in Crimea.
20:33
13.3.2014
The Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, is still in the United States and is right now speaking to the UN Security Council.
He just told the council that his country has faced military aggression from Russia that has "no reason and no grounds."
He urged Russia to pull back its forces from Crimea and to start real negotiations to tackle the situation.
He just told the council that his country has faced military aggression from Russia that has "no reason and no grounds."
He urged Russia to pull back its forces from Crimea and to start real negotiations to tackle the situation.
20:49
13.3.2014
Yatsenyuk has finished speaking at the UN Security Council.
He told the council that his country has faced a military aggression that has "no reason and no grounds," but that there is still time to resolve the crisis.
Yatsenyuk, in an address to the UN Security Council, urged Russia to pull back its forces from Crimea and to start negotiations in earnest to resolve the crisis. He told the emergency session that it was still possible to resolve the crisis with Russia peacefully.
Turning to Russian Ambassador Vitali Churkin, Yansenyuk -- who until then had been delivering his address in English -- asked Churkin in Russian whether Russia really wanted war.
Yatsenyuk, in an address to the UN Security Council, urged Russia to pull back its forces from Crimea and to start negotiations in earnest to resolve the crisis. He told the emergency session that it was still possible to resolve the crisis with Russia peacefully.
Turning to Russian Ambassador Vitali Churkin, Yansenyuk -- who until then had been delivering his address in English -- asked Churkin in Russian whether Russia really wanted war.
21:02
13.3.2014
Some highlights from Yatsenyuk's comments at the UN Security Council:
"We urge [the] Russian Federation to pull back its military forces deployed in Crimea to barracks and to start real talks and negotiations in order to tackle this conflict."
"The way our Russian neighbors -- and I believe that if we start real talks with Russia, they could be real partners -- acted, undermines the entire global security and nuclear non-proliferation program. As after these actions, it will be very difficult to convince anyone in the globe not to have nuclear weapon."
"I would like to reiterate again that the Ukrainian government is absolutely open, we want to have talks. We don't want to have any kind of military aggression."
"The way our Russian neighbors -- and I believe that if we start real talks with Russia, they could be real partners -- acted, undermines the entire global security and nuclear non-proliferation program. As after these actions, it will be very difficult to convince anyone in the globe not to have nuclear weapon."
"I would like to reiterate again that the Ukrainian government is absolutely open, we want to have talks. We don't want to have any kind of military aggression."
21:07
13.3.2014
BREAKING: Meanwhile, away from the UN and back in Ukraine, reports from the eastern city of Donetsk say one person has been killed in clashes between people chanting pro-Russia slogans and others protesting against Moscow's takeover of Crimea.
21:11
13.3.2014
Massive riot scale street fights in Donetsk between pro-Ukraine nationalists and pro-Russia nationalists
â Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) March 13, 2014