That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Thursday, October 29. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
Ukraine opened criminal proceedings against former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for his visit to Crimea in September, said Ukrainian deputy Horhiy Lohvynskyy at a press conference.
Berlusconi, Lohvynskyy claims, violated lawful procedures for entering “temporarily occupied territory.”
“We state that regardless of the status and position, we will prosecute everyone, and Berlusconi is no exception,” Lohvynskyy said. He added that hopefully, other foreign politicians “will find a way to recognize that a violation of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is unacceptable.”
Ukraine has already officially banned Berlusconi from entering the country.