Crisis in Ukraine
Tension and fears are mounting
OSCE observers negotiate with an armed guard at a checkpoint heading to Crimea.
On Friday, pro-Russian troops reportedly tried to smash open the gates of a Ukrainian base. Russia's navy trapped Ukrainian ships. And armed men refused to allow military observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to enter Ukraine's Crimea region.
On Saturday, Moscow chastised the OSCE. Condemn violence by demonstrators in Kiev that led to the ouster of Ukraine's former President first, the foreign ministry said, according to a report in state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Then think about Crimea.
"Some OSCE members and executive bodies have acted in the worst traditions of double standards while dealing with the situation in Ukraine," the ministry reportedly said.
U.S. President Barack Obama has suggested a solution to the Crimea crisis to Russian President Vladimir Putin that would replace Russian troops with international monitors, who would protect ethnic Russians, should they be threatened.
Russian lawmakers have welcomed Crimean separatists with open arms, and Putin has said he would use force to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, if needed.
CNN teams are in Ukraine and Crimea as well as Moscow, Washington and other centers of power. Check below for updates of news as it breaks and read our comprehensive full story here.
And here are some other pieces that break down what is happening:
- 5 possible directions in Ukraine crisis
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Sanctions a sticking point between U.S., Europe
- How Ukraine is divided
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Kerry speaks on Ukraine"Russia's violation of Ukrainian sovereignty ... has actually united the world in support of the Ukrainian people," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said moments ago in Paris, where he and other top diplomats met with Russia's foreign minister about Ukraine.Russia made the wrong choice by intervening militarily in Ukraine's Crimea region, he said. "Russia can now choose to de-escalate this situation and we are committed to working with Russia" to do this, he said. -
Intense discussions
Foreign ministers -- including those from Russia and Ukraine -- meeting Wednesday in Paris "agreed to continue intense discussions in the coming days," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said. Their goal is "to see how we can help normalize the situation, stabilize it and overcome the crisis," he added. -
Kerry: United States 'ready to work with all parties'
"We cannot and will not allow the integrity or the sovereignty of Ukraine to be violated" or let any such violation go without redress, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said moments ago in Paris, where he and other top diplomats met with Russia's foreign minister about Ukraine.
He said the United States is "ready to work with all parties" to resolve the crisis.
He said foreign ministers -- including those from Russia and Ukraine -- meeting today in Paris "agreed to continue intense discussions in the coming days."
Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met three times today in the French capital. One of those meetings included a "brief and informal discussion" among Kerry, Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, an official said. -
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Russia, U.S. agree on one thingRussia and the United States agreed to help all Ukrainians to implement the agreements reached February 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.The announcement followed a meeting in Paris between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.The February 21 deal, signed by opposition leaders, three European Union foreign ministers and President Viktor Yanukovych to end Ukraine’s political crisis and days of bloody fighting, was not signed by Russia at the time.
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73 yr old Dina Nadiradze will vote to join #Russia in #Crimea referendum: I was born in Soviet Union & want 2 return pic.twitter.com/AGUtcr6Xtr
Mar. 6, 2014- Reply
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Soviet ties?Old sentiments run deep with some Crimeans who remember Soviet times. -
The United States' retaliation against those it believes is illegally interfering in Ukraine has begun.U.S. banning visas for those involved in Ukraine crisis
The State Department on Thursday imposed a visa ban against people the U.S. government believes is "responsible for or complicit in threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," the White House said.
Also, President Barack Obama signed an executive order authorizing sanctions -- including the blocking any of their property in the United States -- against such people.
The White House statement and the executive order do not name anyone, but Obama's order says the targeted people will include anyone that the U.S. Treasury Department finds "to have asserted governmental authority over any part or region of Ukraine without the authorization of the government of Ukraine."
Given that the West accuses Russia of ordering thousands of troops to take control of Crimea, certain Russian officials would appear to be in the sanctions crosshairs. -
Kerry, Lavrov meet in Rome
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is shown Thursday at the Italian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Rome, where he and other diplomats were discussing Libya -- and, on the sidelines, about Ukraine.by Jason.Hanna
The top diplomats of the United States and Russia are meeting face-to-face for the second straight day as the Ukraine crisis goes on.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov -- both in Rome for multination talks about Libya -- are meeting on the sidelines of those Libya talks, ostensibly about Ukraine, CNN's Elise Labott reported.
A day earlier, they met in Paris, also on the sidelines of a larger meeting. After the Paris discussions, Kerry said all sides had agreed "that it is important to try to resolve these issues through dialogue." -
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Crimean lawmaker: Only Russian military welcome here
A member of the Russian forces stands guard by a Ukrainian Navy emblem outside the Ukrainian base in Perevalnoye, near Simferopol, on Thursday.by Jason.Hanna
A member of Crimea's new pro-Moscow regional government said Thursday that the only forces permitted in that Ukrainian region are Russian forces, and that forces loyal to Ukraine would be considered occupiers.
The comment from Rustam Termirgaliev, deputy speaker of Crimea's regional parliament, came on a day when Crimean leaders said the region would hold a referendum in 10 days on whether residents want to be part of Ukraine or Russia.
Russia has had Crimea under de facto control for more than a week, with troops surrounding Ukrainian military facilities there. Termirgaliev said he'd advised Ukrainian troops to swear allegiance to the Russian army or leave Crimea under safe passage. -
Europe: Sanctions if Russia doesn't de-escalate soon
The European Union decided Thursday to take a small step against Russia because of the Ukrainian crisis and said that if it's not de-escalated soon, the EU-Russian relationship will suffer "serious consequences."
As a first, immediate step, the EU will suspend bilateral talks on visa matters. But if negotiations on Ukraine don't produce results soon, "the European Union will decide on additional measures,"
European
Council President Herman Van Rompuy told reporters in Brussels after a meeting of EU heads of state.
Those measures would include travel bans asset freezes, Van Rompuy said. He did not say who would be targeted.
Tthe EU also would cancel a future EU-Russia summit, he said.
If Russia destabilizes Ukraine further, he said, that would "lead to severe and far-reaching consequences for relations between (the) European Union ... and the Russian Federation," including economically. -
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President Barack Obama said Thursday he was "confident" that the international community was "moving forward together" in responding to what he called the Russian intervention in Ukraine.Obama: Crimea referendum would be illegal
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said that if Russia continues "this violation of international law" in Ukraine, "the resolve of the United States and our allies and the international community will remain firm."
He also said that a proposed referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region -- one that, as proposed by proposed by pro-Russian Crimean lawmakers, would ask residents whether Crimea should be part of Ukraine or Russia -- would "violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law."
Any discussion about a referendum must include Ukraine's legitimate government, Obama said. Washington considers Ukraine's legitimate government to be the one installed by Parliament after last month's ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych following months of protests. -
Kerry: Russia has an opportunity to de-escalate
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters moments ago that he spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Rome today, and the two have agreed to continue talking "over the course of the next hours, the next days'' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis in Ukraine.
"As you have heard me say all week, the choices that Russia has made escalated this situation, and we believe Russia has the opportunity now ... to de-escalate," he said. -
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Interpol considers alert for Yanukovych
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovychby Jason.Hanna
Interpol said Thursday it is considering a request to issue an international wanted notice for ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
The request, made by Ukraine's interim government, says Yanukovych is wanted on charges including abuse of power and murder.
A red notice is not an international arrest warrant, but
many of Interpol's 190 member countries consider the alert to be a valid request for
provisional arrest, the agency said. -
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In comments following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed various aspects of their talks. Here's some of what he said:Lavrov: 'Impossible to act honestly under the threat of ultimatums and sanctions'
"We have not yet reached a final, mutual understanding. We want to get a deeper understanding of what our partners mean by offering to create an international mechanism and what will be its composition. It's important for us, I'll stress once again, to respect the agreement of February 21, primarily about the constitutional reform, the creation of a national unity government, and elections following the constitutional reform."
"I drew attention of U.S. Secretary of State as I did yesterday in Paris to a continuously aggravating atmosphere, to the announced closed lists of the Russian citizens who will be denied entry into the United States."
"Once again, as I told John Kerry, who seems to understand this, such actions do not promote normal cooperation. It is impossible to act honestly under the threat of ultimatums and sanctions." -
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Presidents Obama and Putin talk about Ukraine
The White House released a readout of the hour-long call between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here's some of what it said.
"President Obama emphasized that Russia’s actions are in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which has led us to take several steps in response, in coordination with our European partners.
"President Obama indicated that there is a way to resolve the situation diplomatically, which addresses the interests of Russia, the people of Ukraine, and the international community.
"As a part of that resolution, the governments of Ukraine and Russia would hold direct talks, facilitated by the international community; international monitors could ensure that the rights of all Ukrainians are protected, including ethnic Russians; Russian forces would return to their bases; and the international community would work together to support the Ukrainian people as they prepare for elections in May." -
Vitali Klitschko talks about Ukraine's potential
As a championship boxer, Vitali Klitschko is used to a tough fight. Now, as a Ukrainian opposition leader he is in the middle of a whole new battle. He is one of the leading voices for his country.
Klitschko tells CNN's Anderson Cooper he wants people in the United States to know he appreciates the support his country is receiving from the West.
"We have huge potential ... And that’s why we have to unite to make changes in our country. It’s possible," he said.
Here's video of the interview. -
On 'normal' life in Crimea
CNN's Ben Wedeman spent the last week or so in Crimea. In most places there, life is normal, he says. He watched cars being stopped for speeding.
"Life on the streets … does seem to be normal, but there’s this underlying tension about what comes next. And certainly, the idea that there’s going to be a referendum on the 16th of March to determine the fate of the Crimea really makes people even more nervous," Wedeman
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CNN's Senior Photojournalist Christian Streib shares the below image of European observers heading to Crimea today.Observers' voyage to Crimea
The 35-strong team from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a regional security bloc, was turned back by armed men at checkpoints Thursday. But they told CNN's Matthew Chance, who is traveling with them from Kherson in southern Ukraine toward the Crimean peninsula, that they intend to be more assertive Friday as they seek to get in and assess the
situation.Fresh supplies for hungry #osce observers before they head to the #crimea frontier pic.twitter.com/9XF3FsoEUM
Mar. 7, 2014- Reply
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Even though Ukraine is not a NATO member, the alliance can help Ukraine "modernize and strengthen" its armed forces, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN’s Becky Anderson today.NATO: We can help strengthen Ukraine's military
Speaking from Brussels, Rasmussen said: "Individual NATO allies can help Ukraine in different ways, and actually they do so, and NATO as an alliance can help Ukraine modernize and strengthen their armed forces through partnership activities."
Earlier, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the "NATO factor" is complicating the situation in Ukraine."It seems reflexes of the past prevailed and prevented an objective analysis of the situation. We think that attempts to add 'the NATO factor' to the already complicated and fragile situation in Ukraine are extremely dangerous, as it creates an additional element of tensions and undermines normalization prospects," Lukashevich said, answering a media question on the ministry website, according to Interfax.
Earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced measures to beef up the number of fighter jets in the former Soviet Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, adding six F-15s to the four already participating in a NATO "air policing" mission in the region.
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The guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun is getting closer to the Black Sea, CNN'sU.S. destroyer in last Turkish strait before Black Sea
Ivan Watson reports from Turkey.US Navy Destroyer Truxtun sails up Bosphorus Strait to joint exercises with Bulgaria and Romania in Black Sea http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BiIZKnjIIAE2AhZ.jpg
Mar. 7, 2014- Reply
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by Rachel Clarke
Crimea, where Russian navy ships are blockading Ukrainian ships, is on the north end of the Black Sea. The United States says the Truxtun is going to the sea for previously scheduled exercises with Bulgaria and Romania. -
Earlier, we told you about the gunmen who are blocking unarmed European military observers from entering the Crimean peninsula from the Ukrainian mainland. CNN Senior Photojournalist Christian Streib tweeted this photo from the checkpoint:Photo from Crimea checkpoint#osce observers refused entry at the Crimea crossing point http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BiIbBFECIAAD6dw.jpg
Mar. 7, 2014- Reply
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Pro-Ukraine crowd gathers at Crimea checkpoint
CNN's Matthew Chance reports from a checkpoint separating the Ukrainian mainland from the Crimean peninsula on Friday. A crowd on the mainland side waves Ukrainian flags.by Jason.Hanna
Above is a picture from the Ukrainian mainland side of a checkpoint where masked gunmen are blocking unarmed European military observers from entering the Crimean peninsula.
CNN's Matthew Chance reports that on the mainland side of the checkpoint, a pro-Ukrainian crowd has gathered, waving Ukrainian flags and chanting, "Crimea is part of Ukraine." Some of them are Tatars, a group that was persecuted in the Soviet era.
The interim Ukrainian government invited the Vienna-based OSCE to enter Crimea, in part to investigate Russian claims that Russian-speaking residents of Crimea were under threat by pro-Western people. Russia has cited this threat as a justification for military intervention. -
Ukrainian official: Base's gates smashes, journalists attacked
The Ukrainian base in Crimea whose gates were reportedly smashed today was not taken over, the base's deputy commander Vitaly Onishenko told CNN's Clare Sebastian.
Here's what Onishenko says happened: Between 35 and 60 men -- who the deputy commander identified as Russian troops, though their uniforms didn't have insignias -- arrived around lunchtime and demanded that Ukrainian forces put down their weapons and cede control of the base.
The Ukrainian troops inside refused.
The two sides talked, and at some point what Onishenko called Russian troops drove vehicles into the base's gates to breach them. The deputy base commander said they failed, damaging the gates and briefly getting through before being blocked by Ukrainian forces forming a human shield.
Talks resumed again and -- while they did -- members of the self-described "self-defense" forces came and began attacking journalists, according to Onishenko. At least one person ended up being taken to a hospital before the self-defense forces withdrew, the deputy base commander said. Contrary to previous reporting, Onishenko said Cossacks weren't involved.
Eventually, the men who Onishenko calls Russian troops likewise pulled back and situation settled down. -
Talks among Western leaders continue
Western leaders continued today to have regular conversations about what's happening in the Ukraine. U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked by phone, while Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted that he had conversed with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande. -
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Ukrainian officials accused pro-Russian forces in its Crimea region of
fresh bullying tactics Saturday, as about 100 armed men reportedly took
control of a military office in the regional capital, Simferopol.
