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A woman carries a baby as she passes destroyed houses following what locals say was overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Slovyansk on June 9.
A woman carries a baby as she passes destroyed houses following what locals say was overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Slovyansk on June 9.

Live Blog: Crisis In Ukraine (Archive)

Summary for June 9

-- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says that Moscow and Kyiv have reached a "mutual understanding" on key parts of a plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko for ending violence in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.

-- Reports say up to 20 armed gunmen were trying to seize property from a factory (Topaz) that makes communications and electronic-warfare equipment in the Donetsk region.

-- A deputy foreign minister says Russia will consider any expansion of NATO forces near its borders a "demonstration of hostile intentions" and "take the necessary political and military-technological measures to support our security."

-- A two-man crew for Russian Zvezda TV arrived in Moscow after being released from detention in Ukraine.

-- Serbian officials say their own work on the Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline will have to be suspended after Bulgaria stopped construction of its portion based on EU and U.S. concerns.

-- Ukrainian security forces are reportedly still battling pro-Russian separatists in the east near Slovyansk and Donetsk.

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
10:40 27.5.2014
10:37 27.5.2014
AP video from within the ranks of the "Vostok Battalion" trying to seize the airport.
10:35 27.5.2014
10:09 27.5.2014
Dramatic Reuters footage from the fighting at Donetsk airport yesterday:
Air, Ground Forces Battle Pro-Russian Separatists At Donetsk Airport
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09:48 27.5.2014
Pro-Kyiv "Information Resistance" blogger Dmitry Tymchuk highlights some of Ukraine's problems in policing its border with Russia. His conclusions are based on a meeting with border officials, he says, and the situation will be further assessed in "the coming days."

He notes on Facebook that there is rampant corruption -- many of the residents of Ukraine's border region with Russia "feed off the border" and therefore have a financial interest in seeing a lack of law enforcement there: "If a family, for instance a father and brother, for many years engaged in cross-border smuggling, it is difficult to expect that they will be honest." The fact that many of the border guards themselves are from that same community exacerbates the problem.

The policing of the border is underfunded, understaffed, and otherwise ill equipped, he adds.

To make matters worse, he says, the border services don't interact well with counterterrorism forces, citing examples when counterterrorism forces denied border guards' requests for assistance due to a lack of resources.
09:29 27.5.2014
09:21 27.5.2014
09:19 27.5.2014
09:14 27.5.2014
09:13 27.5.2014
The "Friendship" Ice Palace burning in Donetsk this morning.

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