March 5 (no editorializing this time): - NATO is halting its first joint mission with Russia. They are suspending military cooperation and are re-evaluating the working relationship they have with Russia. They have decided to step up their civilian and military cooperation with Ukraine. - The UN envoy to Crimea who arrived there today was temporarily detained and trapped in a cafe by militants. He was released and has returned to Kyiv. - A UN representative, who is in Crimea as part of the investigative mission there, was temporarily held up at the hotel where the members of mission is staying by pro-Russian protesters and militants. Seeing that journalists are being prevented from doing their jobs she stressed that they must be allowed to work and that they have to be protected, regardless of their country of origin or allegiance. - UN decided to increase the UN presence in Crimea. - EU and the US are planning an aide package for Ukraine. Loans with multi-year terms will be coming from both countries and world financial institutions. - Putin is now saying that since the new government is a result of a revolution, Ukraine is actually a new state, and the agreements Russia signed with the previous state are no longer valid. They do however maintain that Ukraine owes them money for natural gas purchased from them before the revolution. - A Ukrainian general was kidnapped by a biker gang in Crimea. They slashed his vehicles tires and took him away. He was freed later in the day. - Pro-Russian militants have damaged military equipment at one of the bases by throwing rocks. - Armed individuals with no identifying markers on uniforms have cut-off all supplies to the surrounded military bases and ships. Not even food is allowed to be brought in to the Ukrainian troops. - Toward the end of the day Russian troops have begun lifting blockades of military bases and moving their trucks and ships to make themselves less prominent. Ukrainian military are convinced that this is temporary, that there will be more provocations aimed at making them fire the first shot, and that the blockage will resume when the investigators leave. (Later reports say that the troops have returned to previously-occupied positions.) - A fight broke out between pro-Russian and anti-war demonstrators in Donetsk. Eye-witnesses state that the former started it by singling out those who carried Ukrainian flags and beating them. Leaders of a pro-Russian group in Donetsk admitted that their members are armed.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:58:57 +0000
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