Aleksandr Zakharchenko, a separatist leader in Ukraine's Donetsk region, has announced the creation of a "Little Russia" that he said will become the successor to Ukraine:
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.
And here is today's map of the latest situation in the Donbas conflict zone, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry:
MH17 Memorial Unveiled In The Netherlands
The Netherlands unveiled a memorial to the 298 people killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014. The passenger jet was shot down by a missile over territory controlled by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine. The victims came from 17 countries and included 196 Dutch citizens.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima joined children and families of the victims to unveil the monument in the village of Vijfhuizen, near Amsterdam, on the third anniversary of the incident. The country's poet laureate composed a somber piece for the ceremony, and Dutch vocalist Natasja Den Toom honored the victims in song. (Reuters)
