Key Developments

• On Wednesday, NASA confirmed that it will suspend most of its engagement with its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, due to the issues in Ukraine. NASA will suspend travel to Russia, visits by Russian government officials and even email exchanges with Russian officials, but the two agencies will “continue to work together to maintain safe and continuous operation of the International Space Station.

• Security chiefs in Ukraine accused former President Yanukovych of ordering the February shooting of anti-government protesters in Kiev. These charges follow the arrest of 12 members of the Berkut riot police, who were responsible for more than 100 shooting deaths.

• On Thursday, 16 Ukrainian senior officers joined a NATO military exercise in Bulgaria as a sign of cooperation. The officers joined more than 700 troops from 13 NATO nations. The exercise is being held only a few hundred miles from the Crimean peninsula.  

• According to senior U.S. defense officials, the U.S. Navy is sending a ship to the Black Sea within the coming week to show continued support for Ukraine. The ship will take part in multilateral exercises. There is only one other U.S. Navy ship in the Black Sea, which was deployed on March 21.

• With 40,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, NATO has promised to increase troops in Eastern Europe to quell fear of Russian influence. Russian officials stated that any move by NATO to increase its permanent presence in the region would violate a 1997 NATO-Russian cooperation treaty. The continued presence of Russian troops has NATO military chiefs concerned that Putin’s plans go beyond just Crimea, and possibly into Eastern Europe. However, Russian officials have stated that troops will return to their regular bases after military exercises have been completed.

News and Analysis

Alexei Anishchuk, “Russian Diplomat: US Should ‘Practice Yoga, Stick to Food-Combining Diets,’ And Forget Crimea’s Annexation”, Business Insider, 4/3/14

Michelle Arrouas, “NATO Chief Says Russia Could Attack Ukraine Without Warning”, Time, 4/3/14

C.J. Chivers and David M. Herszenhorn, “In Crimea, Russia Showcases a Rebooted Army”, The New York Times, 4/2/14

Vladimir Soldatkin, “Russia Hikes Gas Prices for Ukraine by 80 Percent”, Reuters, 4/3/14

Tom Cohen, “Is Crimea gone? Annexation No Longer the Focus of Ukraine Crisis”, CNN, 4/1/14

Andrew Roth, “Ukraine Moves to Disarm Paramilitary Groups”, The New York Times, 4/1/14