Russia

Internal Security News: 

• Pro-Russian militants continued to occupy official buildings in at least nine towns and cities in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
   
• A group of armed, masked men took control of the Kramatorsk city police station and kidnapped the police chief, according to the Interior Ministry. Armed men also seized the local Kramatorsk SBU building. Ukrainian airborne troops repelled an attack by three armed, masked men on motorcycles in Donetsk’s Dobropilsky District. 
   
• (ITAR-TASS) Presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko will participate in negotiations for the release of the regional administration building in Donetsk.
   
• Ten armed men captured Ukraine’s Internal Troop training grounds in the village of Vasylivka, located in Donetsk’s Yasynuvatsky District. 
   
• A shooting occurred in Sloviansk on April 20, leaving three pro-Russian militants dead at a checkpoint. Ukrainian Security Services asserted that the incident was staged as a “cynical provocation.” Russia’s RIA Novosti blamed Ukraine’s Right Sector group, though they denied taking part in the incident. Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated: “The Russian side is outraged with the provocation, which indicates that Kyiv is unwilling to put in check and disarm nationalists and extremists.” 
   
• Ukraine called a truce over Easter weekend, suspending “anti-terrorist” operations in the country’s eastern regions. 
   
• The Ukrainian government released photos that it says show Russian soldiers among militants holding official buildings in eastern Ukraine. 
   

Constitutional Reform News:

• (Interfax Ukraine) Ukrainian constitutional reform is aimed at ensuring the balance of power through greater regional independence, said Prime Minister Yatsenyuk. Through reform, the central government should allow regions to pursue independent fiscal and financial policies, and provide special status for national minorities and their languages, including Russian.
   

International Observation News: 

• The chief mediator for Europe's OSCE security body in eastern Ukraine met with leaders of the pro-Russian separatists occupying buildings in Donetsk, and called their talks "constructive."
   
• The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it is ready to cooperate with the OSCE mission and provide information on the situation in eastern Ukraine. 
   

Diplomacy News:

• Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk accused Russian President Putin of having a dream “to rebuild the Soviet Union.”
   
• Russia accused the U.S. of treating it like a “guilty schoolboy” by threatening to impose further sanctions should Moscow fail to fulfill its part in the Geneva peace deal.
   
• U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Kiev and voiced U.S.  support for the Ukrainian government. Biden met with Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk, and during a joint press conference, said that Russia must "stop talking and start acting" to defuse the Ukraine crisis. He also said that authorities in Kiev must fight against “the cancer of corruption.” Biden stated that the U.S. will never recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea (Interfax Ukraine).
   
• (Interfax Ukraine) The U.S. State Department denied supporting Maidan protesters in Kiev, calling it a spontaneous movement. 
   

Governance News: 

• (ITAR-TASS) Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk stated that the new government’s main task will be to fight corruption. 
   
• U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pledged an additional $50 million from the U.S. to help Ukraine's government with political and economic reforms.
   
• (RIA Novosti) Biden stated that the U.S. will provide assistance to help Ukraine gain energy independence from Russia. “More teams are coming to support long-term improvements so that no nation—to be precise, Russia—can use energy as a political weapon against Ukraine and Europe,” he said.

Internal Security News:

• "The anti-terrorist operation is still going on and how long it continues depends on how long terrorists remain in our country," Marina Ostapenko, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU), told reporters. The SBU continued to detain people entering the country with large amounts of cash and military equipment.
   
• (Interfax Ukraine) The text of Ukraine’s law on amnesty for protestors was published on April 18 in the official Parliament newspaper and will come into effect on April 19.
   
• (ITAR-TASS) Approximately two dozen militants from the "People’s Republic of Donetsk" took control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Seversk.
   
• The head of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic said that his men will not lay down their arms or surrender occupied buildings unless the government in Kyiv resigns. 
   
• The SBU announced that they are stepping up security operations in Kkarkiv Oblast, especially around the city of Kharkiv, by inspecting more vehicles entering the region for weapons, ammunition and explosives.
   

Constitutional Reform News:

• Ukrainian presidential candidate Sergiy Tigipko said he believed that Kyiv should resolve its problems unaided at negotiations. “We have no other way but to reach an agreement between ourselves and resolve the situation.”
   

International Observation News: 

• United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was encouraged by the initial round of diplomatic negotiations on the crisis in Ukraine held in Geneva, but stressed that all sides need to "follow up words with deeds, as the situation remains extremely volatile."
   
• UK Prime Minister David Cameron told US President Obama in a phone call that Britain would provide an extra 1 million pounds to support the expansion of the OSCE's monitoring mission in Ukraine to de-escalate crisis in the country.
   
• (ITAR-TASS) The mission of the OSCE in Ukraine received instructions from the OSCE headquarters in Vienna to begin implementation of measures to de-escalate the situation in the country as decided upon during the talks in Geneva on the 17th.
   

Diplomacy News: 

• Russia did not admit the presence of its troops in the eastern regions of Ukraine at four-way talks in Geneva, Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deschytsia said.

All parties reached a deal to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis during four-party talks between Russia, Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU in Geneva. The steps they agreed to included:

• All sides must refrain from any violence, intimidation or provocative actions.
   
• The constitutional process will be inclusive, transparent and accountable. It will include immediate establishment of a broad national dialogue, with outreach to all of Ukraine’s regions and political constituencies, and allow for the consideration of public comments and proposed amendments. 
   
• All illegal military formations in Ukraine must be dissolved. Occupied buildings and public spaces must be vacated with militants disarmed. Amnesty will be offered to anti-government protesters who vacate buildings and public places and are not found guilty of capital crimes.
   
• The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission should play a lead role in assisting de-escalation measures. The U.S., EU and Russia committed to supporting this mission, including providing monitors.

Internal Security News:

• In an overnight raid, an estimated 300 people attacked a Ukrainian military base in Mariupol, according to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. Writing on his Facebook page, he said the shootout followed initial warning shots. Three of the attackers were killed, 13 wounded and 63 others detained.

• Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, published a composite drawing of Igor Strelkov, the Russian military intelligence officer who they allege is commandeering Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine, as well as a network of Russian and Ukrainian agents.

• Ukrainian President Turchynov stated: “The 25th airborne brigade that displayed cowardice and gave up to the enemy, will be disbanded. And the soldiers who are guilty of this will be held accountable in court.” The 25th airborne brigade was the unit responsible for surrendering six armored personnel carriers to militants in Kramatorsk on April 16.

• Dnipropetrovsk Oblast governor and billionaire Igor Kolomoisky offered cash bonuses of $10,000 for those who fight against pro-Russian separatists.

• Militants in Sloviansk took Ukrainian freelance journalist Serhiy Lefter prisoner. His employer reported that he is currently being held in the basement of the Security Service of Ukraine building.

• The Luhansk prosecutor general’s office launched a criminal investigation against former Luhansk Oblast appellate court head–and self-proclaimed ‘President’ of southeastern Ukraine– Anatoliy Vyzyr for “seizure of state power, encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and for unauthorized appropriation of authority.”

• Head of the Kiev city state administration Volodymyr Bondarenko said that the city was taking public safety measures and ensuring defensive capabilities.

Constitutional Reform News:

• (RIA Novosti) Russian President Putin said that Ukraine cannot elect a president without changing its constitution. “If the constitution is not changed, [a] new election cannot be held as President Viktor Yanukovych still remains the legitimate president.”

• (ITAR-TASS) A joint memorandum to be signed by all factions of the Verkhovna Rada will include fixed rejection of federalization, regional empowerment, official status for regional languages ​ and changes to the constitution.
   

International Observation News:

• (ITAR-TASS) OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier requested EU support for expanding the organization’s Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

• Russian envoy to the OSCE, Andrei Kelin, said that OSCE observers sent to Ukraine to monitor ongoing events are trying to make impartial judgments.

• Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the UN, delivered a Security Council speech that pointed blame at Russia for conducting a “professional campaign” of separatism in eastern Ukraine.

• UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović warned that the ongoing unrest in eastern Ukraine, if not addressed as a matter of priority, risks seriously destabilizing the rest of the country.

Diplomacy News:

• Acting Ukrainian FM Deshchytsya told media that Kiev’s main objective was to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine. He said withdrawal of Russian troops from the country's eastern borders and Crimea will be the delegation's main demand at the Geneva conference.

• Russian President Putin held a live 4-hour Q&A session on Russian television. During the interview, he rebuked NATO expansion, called eastern Ukraine "Novorussia" and denied involvement in Eastern Ukraine.

• (ITAR-TASS) Putin said that Russia will not insist on staying in PACE, but does not intend to engage in self-imposed isolation.

• Putin said that trust between Russia and the U.S. had been damaged before the Ukraine crisis, but that he wanted to restore cooperation. "To a certain extent trust has been lost, but we do not think we are to blame.”

• (ITAR-TASS) Putin also proposed intensifying dialogue on the future of the Moldovan region of Transdniestria, demanding that Moldova and Ukraine lift blockades immediately.

• U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, the information policy department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.

• (ITAR-TASS) Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin stated that “We want Ukraine to be a stable and secure state, but we see what is happening there, and we believe that this instability will last a long time.” He touted the necessity of the planned South Stream gas pipeline to secure Bulgaria’s long-term supply.

• (Interfax Ukraine) The European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting Ukrainian leadership in realizing their right to the restoration of power and self-defense, warning Russia against invasion under the pretext of escalating the situation created by armed pro-Russian separatists. The EP reiterated that Ukraine and other Eastern Partnership countries have EU membership prospects and may apply to join the union.

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Kerry met privately behind closed doors before beginning the four-party talks in Geneva.

• (RIA Novosti) Four-way talks between Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the EU began in Geneva. The meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Ukraine’s acting Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia.

Governance News:

• (Interfax Ukraine) Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov appointed Hennadiy Hryschenko as chief of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) office in Dnipropetrovsk region.

• (ITAR-TASS) The Verkhovan Rada created a new association of deputies with a goal of working towards energy independence through the introduction of modern energy technologies.

• (Reuters) Russian airline Aeroflot announced it was informed by Ukraine that it will impose tight restrictions on the entry of “military-age” Russian men into the country.

Internal Security News:

• Ukrainian forces removed separatists from a military airfield near Kramatorsk in Donetsk, killing at least four protesters.

• First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaliy Yarema said several hundred armed Russian military soldiers in Luhansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts were covertly and gradually sent there, over a prolonged time period. According to the minister, it was determined that some were from the 45th Airborne Regiment of the Russian army based near Moscow.

• Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko said that the situation in eastern Ukraine is a new-type war by Russia against Ukraine.

• A number of Ukrainian transport vehicles in Kramatorsk fell under the control of pro-Russian militants before traveling to Sloviansk. Reports varied as to whether the drivers willingly defected or were disarmed.
  • RIA Novosti reported that the personnel of six Ukrainian armored transport vehicles sent to Kramatorsk switched sides and joined pro-Russian protesters.
  • The Kyiv Post reported that drivers began to fly Russian flags after speaking with the self-proclaimed mayor of Sloviansk.
  • The Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated that the vehicles had been forcibly captured by residents of Kramatorsk at a roadblock, and were no longer controlled by men affiliated with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• Separatists took over The Donetsk City Council building immediately after observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) finished a meeting with local authorities there. Separatists continued to occupy the Donetsk Oblast Administration and regional police headquarters.

• (Interfax Ukraine) The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) press center reported they had intercepted conversations that indicated subversive groups in eastern Ukraine are led by the Russian special services.

• Ukraine's SBU also published what it says is a batch of intercepted conversations between Russian secret services and pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Russian security service officers are heard ordering eastern Ukrainian forces to "shoot to kill" when dealing with Ukrainian troops who do not surrender, according to the transcripts.

• A Ukrainian intelligence officer and another serviceman were abducted by “extremists” near Luhansk, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported.

• Train services between Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk were rerouted when unidentified people illegally blocked the tracks.

• (RIA Novosti) The Odessa region’s “Anti-Maidan” movement declared they had established an Odessa People’s Republic and called on residents to block police and military troops from entering the city.

• (RIA Novosti) Fifty Ukrainian soldiers sent to the eastern town of Kramatorsk for military operations against protesters defected to support demonstrators, according to local activists.

Constitutional Reform News:

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM Lavrov stated that the international community must persuade the Ukrainian government to start constitutional reform. Lavrov said that the four-party talks on April 17 should focus on “true, not cosmetic” constitutional reform.

• (Interfax Ukraine) The Verkhovna Rada issued a declaration indicating that Ukraine’s constitutional and administrative-territorial issues cannot be discussed at the four-party talks.

International Observation News:

• Military observers from six OSCE member states arrived in the Sumy region of Ukraine.

Diplomacy News:

• Estonian President Toomas Ilves told CNN’s Christian Amanpour: "we are in new territory right now; the rules have been broken." He called for a "physical presence on the ground" in the region as deterrence against Russia.
   
• (Interfax Ukraine) The EU Council condemned actions undertaken by armed individuals in eastern Ukrainian cities, and demanded that Russia immediately withdraw its Federation Council mandate to use force on Ukrainian soil.

• (ITAR-TASS) Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk said that the purpose of the April 17 four-party talks will be “the resumption of dialogue.”

• NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that although NATO presently has no intention of sending troops into Ukraine, it will bolster its military presence along its eastern border in response to destabilization of Russian-backed separatist movements there.

• (RIA Novosti) Russia may file suit against the U.S. through the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Russian bank sanctions, Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said.

• Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk stated that in addition to oil and gas, “Russia has now begun exporting terrorism.”

• U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said there is little question about the connection between Russia and the gunmen provoking unrest in eastern Ukraine.

• The EU diplomacy chief's spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, said that the goal of the upcoming four-party meeting in Geneva is for Russia and Ukraine to start a direct dialogue.

Governance News:  

• (Interfax Ukraine) The Verkhovna Rada appointed Stepan Poltorak as commander of Ukraine’s National Guard.

• The director of military programs at Ukrainian NGO Razumkov Center stated that the Ukrainian government is not showing proper levels of professionalism in dealing with protesters, and called for them to “take measures” against known individuals and groups responsible for destabilization.

• The Verkhovna Rada refused to combine the positions of mayor and head of the Kiev city-state administration.

Internal Security News:

• Ukraine’s President Turchynov announced before the Verkhovna Rada: “tonight an anti-terrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk Oblast. It will be conducted step-by-step, responsibly, deliberately. The goal of these actions, I want to underline, is to defend the citizens of Ukraine."

• Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s clandestine operation in eastern Ukraine is directed by the FSB (KGB successor) and military intelligence units in concert with a well-prepared network of trained agents. “It’s not a grass root movement. It’s a full-blown foreign aggression on Ukraine.”

• Unrest continued throughout Donetsk Oblast, with protesters occupying government buildings throughout. Pro-Russian demonstrations took place in Kharkiv and Zaporizhya, with disturbances also reported in Ilovaysk, Dobropillya, Kostiantynivka, Snizhne and elsewhere.

• Andriy Parubiy, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council announced on his Facebook page on April 15 that National Guard troops have been deployed to eastern Ukraine.

• Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Petro Mehed said that his ministry mobilized more than 90 percent of its resources, and activated 23 militia commissaries in response to the growing threat in the east. Mehed said that, as a result of increased unrest in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine would continue "accelerating its military mobilization."

• (RIA Novosti) Russian’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page: “Blood has been shed in Ukraine again. The country is on the threshold of a civil war.”

• Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, the body responsible for public order and safety, launched a recruitment campaign to buttress its ranks in eastern and southern Ukraine. Two oblasts in particular, Luhansk and Donetsk, saw an estimated 50 percent of police personnel switch allegiance to Russian occupying forces and local pro-Russian separatists that have occupied government and police buildings. The ministry is also creating special units to serve in Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts.

• (Reuters) Ukraine's state security service opened a criminal case against officials at an unnamed Russian bank for "providing financing to terrorists," the SBU said in a statement.

• (RIA Novosti) Ukrainian presidential candidate Oleh Tsarev was beaten in Kiev. Tsarev is a supporter of federalization, and has allegedly indicated that he will not withdraw his candidacy as a result of the attack.
   

Constitutional Reform News:

• (ITAR-TASS) Kiev claims it will not discuss the federalization of the country at the four-party talks in Geneva.

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM called the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s claims that Ukraine’s domestic political situation will not be discussed at the meeting “baseless.” “That's exactly what we plan to discuss," Lavrov said, adding the agenda for the talks will be de-escalation, disarmament of illegal groups, constitutional reform and elections.

International Observation News:

•  (Associated Press) The UN released a report on Ukraine’s human rights situation, stating that corruption, a lack of judiciary independence and lack of free elections were among the root causes of popular protests that took place there from November-February. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also reported that in Crimea, it found credible allegations of harassment, arbitrary arrests and torture targeting activists and journalists who did not support the March 16 referendum on joining Russia.

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM Lavrov stated that Kiev’s call for UN peacekeeping troops in southeastern Ukraine is "over the top," adding that the Kiev authorities are "inventing fables" to justify their "aggressive intentions."

• (ITAR-TASS) Russian Deputy FM Gennady Gatilov stated that Russia believes the UN Security Council cannot accept the consensus document on Ukraine.

Diplomacy News:

• A Russian attack aircraft repeatedly flew near the USS Donald Cook in international waters in the Black Sea on April 12, a Pentagon spokesman said.

• In a tense phone call, President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would face further costs for its actions in Ukraine and should use its influence to get separatists to stand down. According to the Kremlin, Putin told Obama that Russia was not interfering in Ukraine and urged Washington to use its influence to prevent bloodshed.

• (RIA Novosti) Russian media reported that U.S. CIA Director John Brennan secretly visited Kiev over the weekend, prompting Russian FM Lavrov to demand an explanation. U.S. White House spokesman Jay Carney confirmed that Brennan visited Kiev to meet with Ukrainian intelligence counterparts, calling the visit routine, and describing media reports that the visit was to plan special operations in Ukraine “absurd.”

• EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg decided to add names to its sanction list, in addition to the 51 Russian and Ukrainian political figures blacklisted following Russia’s annexation of Crimea last month. The EU added four Ukrainians, including former deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov.

• (CBC) Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper said the events that unfolded over the weekend in Ukraine are the work of "Russian provocateurs" orchestrated by the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• The UK is ready to make economic "sacrifices" in its efforts to prevent Russia from "destabilising" Ukraine, according to Foreign Secretary William Hague. Russia is “absolutely complicit” in escalating tensions in Ukraine, he said, adding that EU states will recognize when they reach a level to trigger a third tier of economic, trade and financial sanctions.

• (ITAR-TASS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed Kiev’s accusations that Russia is out to disrupt the forthcoming Geneva meeting. He added that Moscow was prepared for the Geneva meeting by and large, but if force were used in the southeast of the country, the chances of holding it would be disrupted.

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM Lavrov stated: "We categorically condemn and demand the cease of so-called initiatives to send security forces and army divisions that are in breach of the norms of Ukrainian and international law to quash protests.”

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM Lavrov thanked China for its “unbiased” stance on Ukraine during a visit to Beijing.

• Poland's Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said in an interview with Reuters that Russia's military intervention in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula makes it vital that NATO station significant numbers of troops in Eastern Europe and ignore any Russian objections.

• (RIA Novosti) NATO is not considering a military response to the situation in Ukraine and is counting on a political and diplomatic resolution, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. At a briefing for EU defense ministers, Rasmussen called on Russia to stop destabilizing Ukraine.
   

Governance News:

• Germany's RWE started natural gas deliveries to Ukraine on April 15, marking an initial step in EU efforts to boost supplies as a diplomatic crisis involving Kiev and Moscow poses the risk of Russia turning off the taps. A framework agreement signed by Ukraine's Naftogaz and RWE subsidiary RWE Supply & Trading in 2012 allows for delivery of up to 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year.

• Ukraine’s Rada adopted a law to guarantee people's rights and freedoms in occupied territories of Ukraine.

• (RIA Novosti) Ukraine will start importing natural gas via Poland as soon as this week, Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported, citing an order that has allegedly been placed with the Polish gas transport firm Gaz Systems.

• (ITAR-TASS) Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada will hold a closed plenary session on April 16, during which they will discuss national security issues, stated acting President Turchynov. 

Internal Security News:

Over the weekend, there appeared to be a coordinated outbreak of violence throughout Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast region:

• Kiev is mobilizing troops in eastern Ukraine after a series of coordinated attacks by pro-Russian separatists.

• Ukrainian forces repelled an attack on the Donetsk prosecutor general’s office, and an attack on the Shakhtarsk police station.
   
• Armed pro-Russian protesters seized the police station in the district center of Chervony Lyman. The attack was repelled within hours.
   
• Armed pro-Russian protesters seized government buildings in Sloviansk. Mobile communications towers were destroyed, says Interior Minster Arsen Avakov.
   
• Later in the day, gunmen seized the interior ministry branch in Donetsk.
   
• A shootout took place near the Kramatorsk police department. Attackers were armed with Russian-made AK 100 submachine guns that are only used by Russian military forces, said Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
   
• Protesters seized the city council building in Mariupol.
   
• Ukraine's acting President Turchynov called an emergency meeting of Kyiv's national security council after pro-Russian separatists seized control of government buildings in the eastern city of Slovyansk. Separately, Turchynov stated that “Ukraine does not object to the holding of joint anti-terrorist operations with peacekeeping forces of the UN in the East of our state.”

• At least three people were killed in Donetsk region clashes, including a Ukrainian security services officer killed in Sloviansk. According to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, five others were wounded.

• (ITAR-TASS) Donetsk’s regional police chief Konstantin Pozhidayev resigned “in order to prevent conflict escalation and possible bloodshed” after approximately 1,000 protestors gathered at the MDV main department building calling for his resignation.

• City administration buildings in the towns of Yenakievo and Makiyievka were held by protesters.

• A Ukrainian government deadline for pro-Russian activists to lay down their arms and leave occupied buildings passed on Monday with no sign of adherence in eastern cities of Donetsk or Slaviansk. At present, protesters are occupying buildings in Donetsk, Sloviansk, Makiyievka, Mariupol, Kharkov, Kramatorsk, and Yenakievo.

• Pro-Russian protesters forced police out of a building in Horlivka, according to eyewitness reports provided to CNN.

• Roughly two dozen pro-federalization protesters seized the Zhdanovka city council building in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Constitutional Reform News:

• Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk visited the country’s southeastern area, promising that constitutional reform will satisfy the regions’ call for more power.
   

International Observation News:

• The UN Security Council held an urgent, previously unscheduled meeting to discuss the worsening Ukraine situation, with members trading strong condemnations and accusations. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, said that Ukraine "teeters on the brink.”

• (ITAR-TASS) Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on the UN and OSCE to address the situation in Ukraine: “We are demanding that the ‘Maidan’ protesters who overthrew Ukraine’s legitimate president immediately stop a war against their own people and meet all their commitments under the February 21 agreement.”

• OSCE monitors visited Slavyansk, the besieged eastern Ukrainian city. The OSCE special monitoring mission said that the situation in Ukraine’s eastern regions is tense. OSCE experts also said that the situation remained tense in Kharkiv and Luhansk, where several thousand pro-Russian activists were seen.
   

Diplomacy News:

• (RIA Novosti) Russian FM Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia considers any peacekeeper deployment to Ukraine an unnecessary measure that should not be brought up in the UN Security Council.

• (ITAR-TASS) The Russian Foreign Ministry expects to receive the U.S. reply to a proposed agenda for a four-party meeting on Ukraine by April 14, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.

• At the UN Security Council’s emergency meeting on Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power stated that Russia is behind Ukraine’s unrest. She argued that Moscow was the only entity able to organize the instability and unrest occurring in the east. Power cited “professional forces, carrying weapons–Russian-made weapons, as it happens–carrying out sophisticated, complicated military operations across a substantial number of eastern Ukrainian cities.”

• The U.S. State Department said that “Russia continues to spin a false and dangerous narrative to justify its illegal actions in Ukraine. The Russian propaganda machine continues to promote hate speech and incite violence by creating a false threat in Ukraine that does not exist.”

• (ITAR-TASS) Belarus President Lukashenko said federalization will lead to the breakup of Ukraine.

• If Kiev fulfils its threat to use force against southeastern Ukrainians, it will undermine the prospect of a four-sided meeting in Geneva, as well as other cooperation on the Ukrainian crisis, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov told his US counterpart.

• Ukraine's foreign ministry said that it had proof Russian forces had been behind the "separatist operation," and that it would present its evidence at a Geneva meeting later this week.

• Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans expressed confidence that the EU must be ready to switch to the third economic phase of sanctions if the situation in Ukraine does not change.

• German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel warned of an escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, saying "Russia was clearly prepared to allow tanks to roll across European borders."

• The EU is still ready to help Ukraine–through financial assistance, technical assistance and helping to transform state institutions–said Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski.

Internal Security News:

• Fire broke out in Kiev’s Communist Party headquarters late on April 9. A preliminary emergency services investigation determined arson as the cause, though the fire is still under investigation.

• Acting Ukrainian President Turchynov assured protestors occupying government buildings that they would not be prosecuted if they laid down their arms and peacefully vacated the premises. Deputy head of the presidential administration Andriy Senchenko said that the situation has stabilized in Donetsk, but if protesters in Lugansk do not surrender by the end of the day, security services will have to use force.

Diplomacy News:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin met with government members to discuss the situation in Ukraine and prospects for developing economic ties between the two countries, particularly in the energy sector. “Our partners in Europe have recognized the legitimacy of the incumbent Kiev authorities, but they are not doing anything to support Ukraine–not a single dollar or euro [has been given],” Putin said.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had a telephone conversation on Wednesday, initiated by the U.S., as reported by Russia’s Foreign Ministry. “The heads of Russian and U.S. diplomacy called for renouncing any use of force and for directing the situation to a political and legal channel through talks. In this context the Russian side once again stressed that there is no alternative to the involvement of all the regions in the process of constitutional reform," a ministry report says.

• Russian FM Lavrov requested clarification on the purpose of four-party talks proposed by the U.S. and EU.

• Russia does not intend to impose retaliatory sanctions against the West, according to a statement by Russian Deputy FM Igor Shuvalov. However, “it is clear that we will have to take relevant actions in order to protect our economy.”

• The Ukrainian Party of Regions, which is Russian-speaking, and has strong support in the southeast, wants to participate in negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and EU. The U.S. and EU only support inclusion of the Kiev government, however, on April 9, Moscow advocated the inclusion of "all regions, all political forces" in talks. 

• "Russia must withdraw its forces from the border of Ukraine and begin a dialogue with Kiev, which would lead to a reduction of tensions in the east," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

• Germany is in “intensive dialogue” with China and Japan regarding the situation in Ukraine, said German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
   

Ukraine Governance News:

• Ex-Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko indicated that she will participate in upcoming elections, despite calls from her opponent, Pyotr Poroshenko, to withdraw her candidacy “for the sake of the Ukrainian people’s unity,” in light of his leading poll numbers.

• The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council of Ukraine) adopted a bill allowing parliamentary opposition to have representation in a number of regulatory bodies.
   
• The World Bank Group announced that it intends to support reform in Ukraine and will provide up to $3 billion USD in 2014.
   
• Head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Stepan Kubiv allowed the hryvnia to strengthen after receiving the first IMF tranche of $3 billion USD. 
   
• Putin informed the EU about Ukraine's critical gas debt situation, indicating that it may affect gas transit.  

International Observations News:

• The OSCE proposed an increase in the number of its Ukraine specialists to 200 from 121, which will require a funding increase, according to Adam Kobieracki, director of the Conflict Prevention Centre. The OSCE has a mandate from its Permanent Council that allows it to send up to 500 civilian observers.

• Russia’s delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will abstain from Thursday’s debate regarding its status, which is in question following European objections to Russia’s Crimean annexation, a source told RIA Novosti. “The Russian delegation refuses to take part in the discussion, or even remain in the assembly hall. This political farce is repulsive,” said Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian delegation, in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

• Moscow again accused the OSCE of bias, responding to OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović’s April 8 comments regarding deteriorating media freedoms in Ukraine.

Recent Developments: 

• President Putin called on Gazprom to hold off on demanding an up-front payment from Ukraine for gas supplies.

Internal Security News:

• The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Right Sector members and U.S. citizens, specifically Greystone agents, of joining Ukrainian troops disguised as soldiers. Acting interim Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Sergei Pashinsky denied Russia’s allegations. 
   
• The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Ukraine and the U.S. have "no reason for concern" over the presence of Russian troops near the border.
   
• Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov vowed to end Eastern Ukraine’s separatist crisis within 48 hours, either by force or through negotiations.
   
• Separatists released 56 people from the Lugansk security services building, but remain in control of the building.

• A fistfight broke out in Ukrainian Parliament after a communist leader accused nationalists of playing into the hands of Russia by adopting extreme tactics early on in the Ukrainian crisis.

Diplomacy News:

• U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testified in front of the U.S. Senate, stating that pro-Russian demonstrations in Kharkiv and Donetsk were contrived and a pretext for military intervention. Kerry called Russian involvement in Ukraine “clear and unmistakable.” “The U.S. and its allies “will not hesitate to use 21st century tools to hold Russia accountable for 19th century behavior. he said. Watch Secretary Kerry’s full statement.  

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton discussed possible international efforts to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.
   
• Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov held a press conference, telling the U.S. to “stop laying the blame at our door.” The situation in Ukraine will not be stable unless Kiev stops ignoring interests of Russian-speaking citizens, Lavrov said. He added that southern and eastern Ukraine should be engaged in multilateral consultations about a potential settlement.
   
• UK Foreign Minister William Hague issued statement saying that he is “gravely concerned” over a situation that “bears all the hallmarks of a Russian strategy to destabilize Ukraine.”

• The U.S. Navy warship USS Donald Cook is scheduled to enter the Black Sea no later than Thursday as part of the latest U.S. military effort to demonstrate support for Eastern European allies concerned over Russia's troop buildup. The Donald Cook will join the USS Truxtun, which is already conducting “extended drills” with Romania and Bulgaria.

• U.S. and Russia suspended a bilateral nuclear safety program. All joint works in the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (also known as the updated Nunn-Lugar program), have been suspended, Moscow's Kommersant newspaper quoted U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) representative Anne Harrington as saying.
   
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Russia is not contributing to de-escalation. She indicates willingness to engage in talks with Russia but asserts that “Ukraine must decide its own future.” 
   
• Catherine Ashton, John Kerry, Sergei Lavrov, and Ukrainian FM Andriy Deshchytsia are scheduled to meet next week at an unspecified European location.
   
• The EU announced creation of a Brussels-based Support Group for Ukraine, which will provide structure and guidance for the EC’s Ukraine work. It will also help to mobilize member states' expertise, and will further enhance coordination with other donors and international financial institutions.

International Monitoring News:

• OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović expressed her concern about the deteriorating media freedom situation in eastern Ukraine, especially regarding journalists’ safety. Her statement followed protestors’ attacks on television stations in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Lugansk on April 7. 
   
• The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors for “one-sided” comments in which she expressed concern for Crimean Tatars and Crimea’s Ukrainian community.
   
• The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging the U.S. and the other OSCE member-states not to use the organization for fanning tensions over Ukraine.

Key Developments

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Russia and the U.S. are discussing ways to de-escalate tensions over Ukraine. According to White House spokesman Jay Carney, "we are continuing to engage in a dialogue with Russia over moving down the road of diplomatic resolution.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the two countries have agreed to hold direct talks involving representatives from the U.S., Russia, the EU and Ukraine to search for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in the next 10 days.

Any further efforts to destabilize Ukraine will incur costs for Russia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Kerry said that the U.S. is watching events in eastern Ukraine with "great concern," and noted that they "do not appear to be a spontaneous set of events.” Kerry urged Russia to "publicly disavow the activities of separatists, saboteurs and provocateurs," according to Psaki. 

Internal Security News:

• Russian commentary suggests that unlike the case of Crimea, protests in other predominantly Russian areas of Ukraine aim to achieve a federal system in Ukraine.
   
• According to Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, participants in a meeting in Kharkiv proclaimed an independent state named the Kharkov People's Republic. They stated that the decision would take effect after being approved by a regional referendum.
   
• As the Ukrainian government moved to restore order in the cities of Kharkiv and Donestk, it threatened tougher measures against separatist agitators.  
   
• Ukrainian special forces have been deployed to the region after authorities reported the capture of a Russian special forces officer involved in provocateur activities. The moves followed a declaration of independence or autonomy from a small group of demonstrators in Donetsk.
   
• In Kharkiv, an occupied building that had been set on fire was cleared of protesters by authorities who said they did not use firearms in the operation. 
   
• In Donetsk, authorities surrounded the occupied government building, but indicated that no effort would be made to storm the building. 

Constitutional Reform News:

• At a meeting to review security plans for Eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the proposal for federalism as part of constitutional reform is an attempt to destroy the country’s unity.  
   
• Deputies of the Donetsk regional council proclaimed formation of an independent and sovereign Donetsk People’s Republic with an Act on State Sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Further, the regional council transformed itself into a Council (Soviet) of the Republic.

Diplomatic Interaction News:

• The Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its offer of international assistance to start a national dialogue between Ukraine’s political and regional forces, and stated its preparedness to take part in efforts alongside foreign partners. However, Russia also issued a statement warning Ukraine that any use of force in the east could provoke civil war.
   
• Latvia followed Lithuania in banning Russian state television broadcasts about the Ukraine crisis, which they fear may threaten national security interests.
   
• Canada expelled junior military attachés and warned Russia that it will face increasing sanctions if it does not change course. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued a statement condemning Russia's "provocative actions in Crimea and elsewhere." 
   
• The leader of Moldova's pro-Moscow breakaway region, Transdniestr, urged the country's politicians to start discussions that would allow it to formally join Russia.
   
• Russia did not attend a meeting on Ukraine held by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
   
• The EU is close to freezing plans to complete the $50bn (£30bn) South Stream gas pipeline traveling from Russia through the Black Sea, the first serious EU action to punish the Kremlin for seizing Crimea. Key details emerged in a leaked briefing by the European Commission's chief, Jose Manuel Barroso, to Bulgarian politicians.
   
• The European Space Agency will not follow NASA’s lead in breaking cooperation with Russian partners. 
   
• G20 finance chiefs are expected to discuss financial aid to Ukraine at their meeting later this week, Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday.

Governance and Economy News: 

• Russia's Ukrainian imports in the period from January to February 2014 decreased by 30.5 percent to $1.59 billion USD–compared to $2.289 billion a year ago–the RF Federal Customs Service (FCS) has reported.