Merkel meets with Ukraine opposition

http://www.dw.de/merkel-meets-with-ukraine-opposition/a-17438893

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has met with Ukrainian opposition leaders in Berlin. The sitdown came just hours after Ukraine granted amnesty to jailed protesters.
The German chancellor met with Ukrainian opposition leaders Vitali Klitschko and Arseni
Yatsenyuk late Monday afternoon in Berlin. The visit was aimed at garnering more support from
Chancellor Merkel's government for the opposition's efforts to curb powers of the Ukrainian
president in order to end several months of mass protests and political unrest in Kyiv.
The chancellor's spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, said Merkel had expressed "sympathy for the
legitimate concerns of the Ukrainian people." He also said that she had reassured Klitschko and
Yatsenyuk that Germany, in cooperation with the EU, would do everything it could to contribute
to a positive outcome to the crisis.
While Chancellor Merkel said she supported the opposition's goals of pushing for constitutional
reform and forming a new government, she said that she did not agree with Klitschko's calls for
sanctions against the Ukrainian government.
Further financial support from the EU and possible sanctions against the Ukrainian government
were also discussed during the closed-door talks.
Klitschko and Yatsenyuk were scheduled to meet with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier later in the evening.
In November, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych's shelved an Association Agreement with
the EU in favor of a loan and natural gas deal with Moscow. The move prompted mass protests
in the capital calling for his resignation. Meanwhile, members of the opposition have been
calling for constitutional reform that would curb the powers of the president.
On Monday, the German foreign ministry called recent developments in Kyiv "encouraging."
Following protesters' ending their two-month occupation of city hall in the capital, the Ukrainian
government announced that a long-sought amnesty for jailed protesters had officially gone into
effect.
Klitschko seeking German leadership
Ahead of the meeting, heavyweight-boxing-champion-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko wrote a
guest op-ed in the German daily newspaper Bild, imploring Berlin to put more pressure on the
Ukrainian president.
"I would hope that Germany take on a leading role in mediation [efforts]. We desperately need
more independent observers in [Ukraine]!" Klitschko wrote.

He also vowed to take up the issue of sanctions during his meetings with both Merkel and
Steinmeier.
"We've been calling for Ukrainian government members' accounts to be frozen and for them to
be barred from travelling into the EU - we now want a clear signal [regarding these demands],"
Klitschko added.
The German foreign ministry appeared to dismiss this idea on Monday when it praised the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for its positive influence on the
political crisis in Kyiv.
"We welcome the mediatory role which the OSCE - represented by Switzerland and Swiss
envoys in Kyiv - have played and believe that this could be a model for the bigger questions
ahead," foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Schfer said on Monday in Berlin.
The Vienna-based organization is compromised of 57 countries from Europe, North America and
Asia and works to prevent crises through cooperative efforts, such as dialogue and negotiation.
kms/hc (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/aid-to-russia-leader-vladimir-putin-claims-us-giving-ukraine-rebels-20million-a-week/

KIEV, Ukraine -- A senior Kremlin aide accused the United States on Thursday of arming
Ukrainian rebels and, urging the Kiev government to put down what it called an attempted
coup, warned it could intervene to maintain the security of its ex-Soviet neighbor.
Sergei Glazyev, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin with responsibility for relations with
Ukraine, told a newspaper that U.S. interference breached the 1994 treaty under which
Washington and Moscow jointly guaranteed Ukraine's security and sovereignty after Kiev gave
up its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal.
His characteristically confrontational comments, on the eve of an expected meeting between
Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich at the opening of the Sochi Winter Olympics,
could add to tensions with Washington, and within Ukraine.
And what the Americans are getting up to now, unilaterally and crudely interfering in Ukraine's
internal affairs, is a clear breach of that treaty. The agreement is for collective guarantees and
collective action.
He did not specify what action Russia might take.

Washington, which has urged Yanukovich to share power with a unity government to end a
violent standoff in the streets, has accused Russia of pressuring the leadership in Kiev to prevent
Ukraine joining a trade pact with the European Union.
Yanukovich sparked the protests in November when he turned down the EU accord and took
financial aid instead from Moscow.

U.S. "Arms rebels"

Glazyev, who was prominent in a Kremlin campaign last year that threatened economic
sanctions against Ukraine if it took the EU deal, accused U.S. agents of giving $20 million a
week for arms and other help to the opposition and rebels in Kiev.
There is information that within the grounds of the American embassy, there is training for
fighters, that they're arming them, Glazyev said.
The U.S. Embassy in Kiev told CBS News on Thursday that Glazyev's "accusations are entirely
false and should be given no credence."
The embassy also noted that Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was in the Ukrainian
capital and planned to address media on Friday.
Ukraine protesters brutalized, military urges action to restore stability
An opposition leader from Kiev who claims he was brutally tortured by unidentified men during two
weeks of captivity said Thursday that his kidnappers had asked about his relationship with American
officials.

Speaking from Lithuania, Dmytro Bulatov said the men who tortured him asked how much
money the American ambassador in the Ukraine had given him and where it was, and accused
him of being an American spy.
The Kremlin official suggested Yanukovich should use force if necessary to put an end to a
protest movement that Glazyev called an attempt at a coup d'etat, at the violent overthrow of
authority in which public buildings had been occupied.
The authorities are not fulfilling their duty to defend the state, negotiating with putschists as if
they are law-abiding citizens, he said, accusing the West of blackmailing Yanukovich and
wealthy oligarchs by threatening to seize their extensive foreign assets and blacklist them from
travelling.
Asked by the paper if Yanukovich should now use force to clear the protesters, Glazyev said:
As for starting to use force, in a situation where the authorities face an attempted coup d'etat,
they simply have no other course of action.
Otherwise, the country will be plunged into chaos.

He said Yanukovich had done all he could to avoid violence, in contrast to the opposition, and
accused leaders in the Ukrainian-speaking west of the country of being separatists".
Russia, he said, was concerned that the country should not split apart. But he suggested that a
form of federalism be introduced to give regions substantial powers — including over their
budgets and even over international relations.
Citing the example of Greenland, which enjoys substantial autonomy from Denmark and unlike
the Danish state is not part of the European Union, he said western and eastern Ukraine could
have different economic relations with the EU and Russia.
Today, economic, cultural and human ties between the regions of eastern and western Ukraine
are less than the links between southeastern Ukraine and Russia and between the western regions
and the EU, Glazyev said, suggesting eastern regions might want to join a customs union that
Putin favors.

Canada makes strong commitment to

Ukraine
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-supports-ukraines-territorial-integrity-in-face-of-russianaggression/article17165279/

Ottawa is making no apologies for taking sides in the political transition unfolding in Ukraine,
with Prime Minister Stephen Harper backing the countrys territorial integrity and reaching out
to allies as Western nations expressed growing alarm over Russias actions in Crimea.
Friday was an active day for Canada on the international stage: Foreign Affairs Minister John
Baird met on the ground with Kievs new leadership the same day the countrys new interior
minister accused Russia of armed invasion in its southern Crimea region. And Mr. Harper
spoke about the developments in Ukraine with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is
considered a main link between Western leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The
Prime Minister also spoke earlier this week with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
At a press conference in Kiev on Friday, Mr. Baird laid bare Canadas commitment to Ukraine,
even as ousted president Viktor Yanukovych emerged in Russia to assert his political status and
challenge the legality of the planned May election. Mr. Baird said Canada would offer economic,
technical and political support, noting Ottawa is ready to work with the International Monetary
Fund and suggesting it will again deploy election observers. And when asked whether he fears
siding with the new government could hamper Ottawas diplomatic relationship with Moscow,
Mr. Baird said, Canada is not the worlds referee.
We stand on the side of the Ukrainian people, he said after meetings that included the interim
President and the newly appointed interim Prime Minister. We stand for peace, prosperity,

security and freedom. We expect the Russian Federation to honour the commitments it made in
the Budapest Declaration [committing to Ukraines territorial sovereignty], and we certainly
dont apologize for standing with the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom. Some
veteran Canadian diplomats question Canadas partisan approach . Christopher Westdal, who
was Canadas ambassador to Ukraine from 1996 to 1998 and to Russia from 2003 to 2006, said
Ottawa has lost credibility with Moscow and has no role to play now as an intermediary on this
issue. I think there are limits, and I think theres a price to pay in terms of any influence with
Russia, he said. Our credibility is lopsided.
Ottawa says it has been collaborating with its allies, and its position that Mr. Yanukovych is no
longer the former Soviet states leader is hardly unique among Western nations. But while
others, including Ms. Merkel and U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice, have made clear
there is no inherent contradiction between Ukraines long-standing ties to Russia and a closer
association with Europe, Mr. Baird spoke of a path which leads to Ukraines European
integration. And although Mr. Harper did not mention Moscow when speaking publicly on the
issue on Friday, he left no doubt where Ottawa stands.
Given developments that we see that are worrying, to us, I think it is important as Canadians
that we emphasize our very strong support we emphasize this with all countries in the region
our very strong support for the territorial integrity and respect for the territorial integrity of
Ukraine, he said in Brampton, Ont.
Mr. Westdal said the governments firm stand on Ukraine can be viewed through a domestic
lens: Canada is home to 1.3 million Ukrainian-Canadians, and a federal election is around the
corner in 2015. Weve got a diaspora-driven foreign policy, he said. It might work at the
polls, but it doesnt do much good in the world.
With a report from Adrian Morrow in Toronto

The Canadian Press

Published Tuesday, February 18, 2014 10:35PM EST
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/baird-canada-will-give-medical-aid-to-ukraine-activists-1.1693196

OTTAWA -- Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says Canada will be providing assistance to
make medical care available for Ukrainian activists.
In a release condemning the violence that left at least 18 dead in street battle in Kyiv on Tuesday,
Baird said a contribution will be made to a Ukrainian non-governmental organization.
A handful of anti-government protesters have taken shelter inside the Canadian embassy in
Ukraine's capital after riot police barged into a large opposition camp with stun grenades and
water cannon.

Related Stories

Crisis in Ukraine: Must-follow Twitter, Instagram accounts

Riot police move against protest camp in Kyiv amid violent clashes

Fewer than a dozen protesters sought refuge Tuesday in the reception area of the embassy in
Kyiv to escape the violent crackdown.
Baird's office says they are peaceful and have not caused any damage or harm to staff.
Canadian embassy workers are safe and accounted for, spokesman Adam Hodge said.
"We hope that the situation improves quickly so that they can safely leave the embassy premises
at the earliest possible opportunity," Hodge said in an email.
"We expect these individuals to be able to leave the embassy safely, free from intimidation,
arrest or further harassment."
Baird said the urgent medical relief will ensure that treatment is provided to "the courageous
activists injured while speaking out peacefully in support of democracy."
It's only one step in Canada's involvement, he added.
"I will also be consulting our allies and like-minded nations to build a co-ordinated path forward
in the coming days," Baird said. "All options remain available, including through the deployment
of targeted sanctions against those responsible.
"Canada unequivocally condemns the violence that has led to the deaths of scores of
Ukrainians."
The contribution will include medical supplies, first aid kits and training, his release stated.
Thousands of police officers broke down barricades on the edge of Kyiv's Independence Square.
But they were repelled by 20,000 protesters armed with rocks, bats and fire bombs.
The protests began last November after President Viktor Yanukovych's froze ties with the
European Union in exchange for a $15-billion bailout from Russia.
-- With files from The Associated Press

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/baird-canada-will-give-medical-aid-to-ukraine-activists1.1693196#ixzz2vCElzMJh

Timeline: Protests and political crisis in

Ukraine
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/17/us-ukraine-timeline-idUSBRE9BG10N20131217

(Reuters) - Here is a timeline of Ukraine's political crisis which has brought tens of thousands of
people onto the streets of Kiev over President Viktor Yanukovich's policy U-turn away from the
European Union towards Russia.
* Nov 21: Kiev suddenly announces suspension of trade and association talks with the EU after
years of careful negotiations and opts for reviving economic ties with Soviet-era overlord,
Moscow.
Several hundred Ukrainians gather on the capital's central Independence Square to protest.
* Nov 22: Jailed opposition leader and a sworn Yanukovich foe, Yulia Tymoshenko, urges
Ukrainians to take to the streets over the switch away from the EU.
In Moscow President Vladimir Putin accuses Brussels of blackmailing Ukraine.
* Nov 24: Some 100,000 people rally in Kiev against spurning the EU, the biggest protest in
Ukraine in almost a decade.
* Nov 25: Ukrainian police resort to force for the first time since the protests erupted, fire tear
gas at demonstrators.
Brussels says the deal with Ukraine remains on the table, voices "strong disapproval" over what
it says is Moscow's unacceptable pressure on Kiev.
* Nov 29: At the EU summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Yanukovich fails to sign the
association agreement.
* Nov 30: Late at night, riot police enter in force to break up the Kiev protest. Yanukovich says
he is "deeply outraged" by violence on both sides.
The use of force against the crowd becomes a tipping point for many Ukrainians. The protest,
which started as a pro-Europe rally, begins to develop into an all-out protest against Yanukovich
and his government.
* Dec 1: Some 350,000 people protest in Kiev during a rally marred by clashes with police. The
crowds reclaim Independence Square and turn it into a protest tent city. Opposition leaders call
on Yanukovich to resign.

* Dec 2: Ukraine's central bank intervenes to prop up the hryvnia national currency for the first
time since the start of protests. Protesters block government buildings.
* Dec 3: Yanukovich goes to China, signs deals which he says will be bring $8 billion of
investment. At home, his cabinet survives a no-confidence vote in parliament.[ID:nL5N0JI1MT]
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tells Ukrainian leaders to listen to the people.
* Dec 4: Central bank intervenes for the second time. Senior EU officials and ministers start
visiting the protest square.
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov tells protesters they will be punished if they break law. Moscow
criticizes demonstrators and tells the West not to meddle in Ukraine.
* Dec 6: Yanukovich holds previously unannounced talks in Sochi with Putin on "strategic
partnership".
* Dec 8: Some 800,000 people rally in Kiev. A statue of the Soviet revolutionary Vladimir Lenin
is toppled.
* Dec 11: Riot police enter the protest camp early in the morning, clash with demonstrators but
later withdraw.
The White House condemns the violence and U.S. lawmakers warn of possible sanctions.
Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland becomes the most senior U.S. official to visit the
square.
* Dec 13: Yanukovich's first face-to-face talks with opposition bring no breakthrough in crisis.
* Dec 14: Tens of thousands of Ukrainians protest as Yanukovich party loyalists stages rival
rally.
* Dec 15: EU says suspends talks with Ukraine on the pact. Some 200,000 people rally in Kiev.
* Dec 17: Yanukovich and Putin hold talks in Moscow, their second meeting since the protests
began. Opposition calls for another mass rally in the evening in Kiev.
Putin throws Ukraine an economic lifeline, agreeing to buy $15 billion of Ukrainian debt and to
reduce the price of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine by about a third.
(Compiled by Gabriela Baczynska and Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Richard Balmforth and
Alistair Lyon)

Timeline: Ukraine's political crisis

Key events in Ukrainian anti-government protests that have been followed by
political upheaval and international crisis.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/03/timeline-ukraine-political-crisis201431143722854652.html

Ukraine has accused Russia of staging an "armed invasion" of its Crimea Peninsula after
unidentified pro-Moscow gunmen appeared on the streets of the region.
The development comes after Ukraine's new government, which came to power after the ousting
of Viktor Yanukovich through deadly anti-government protests, has called for fresh presidential
elections on May 25. The move has been countered by the Crimea administration that
has announced plans for a referendum on the same date to decide on the region's future.
As the government in Kiev continues to emphasise the need for a united Ukraine, here is a
timeline of some of the events that have led to the current situation.
Nov 21: President Viktor Yanukovich announces abandonment of a trade agreement with the
European Union, seeking closer ties with Moscow.
Nov 30: Public support grows for pro-EU anti-government protesters as images of them bloodied
by police crackdown spread online and in the media.
Dec 1: About 300,000 people protest in Kiev's Independence Square. The City Hall is seized by
activists.
Jan 16: Anti-protest laws are passed and quickly condemned as "draconian".
Dec 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin announces plans to buy $15bn in Ukrainian
government bonds and a cut in cost of Russia's natural gas for Ukraine.
Jan 22: Two protesters die after being hit with live ammunition. A third dies following a fall
during confrontation with police.
Jan 28: Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigns and the parliament repeals anti-protest laws that
caused the demonstrations to escalate in the first place.
Jan 29: A bill is passed, promising amnesty for arrested protesters if seized government
buildings are relinquished.
Jan 31: Opposition activist Dmytro Bulatov found outside Kiev after being imprisoned and
tortured for eight days, apparently at the hands of a pro-Russian group.

Feb 16: Opposition activists end occupation of Kiev City Hall. In exchange 234 jailed protesters
are released.
Feb 18: More street clashes leave at least 18 dead and around a hundred injured. Violence begins
when protesters attack police lines after the parliament stalls in passing constitutional reform to
limit presidential powers. Protesters take back government buildings.
Feb 20: Violence resumes within hours of a truce being announced. Government snipers shoot
protesters from rooftops leading to deadliest day of the crisis so far with over 70 deaths.
Feb 21: Protest leaders, the political opposition and Yanukovich agree to form a new
government and hold early elections. Yanukovich's powers are slashed. The parliament votes to
free Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister, from prison. Yanukovych flees Kiev after
protesters take control of the capital.
Feb 22: Ukraine politicians vote to remove Yanikovich. Tymoshenko is freed from prison and
speaks to those gathered in Kiev. May 25 is set for fresh presidential elections.
Feb
23:
Ukraine's
parliament
assigns
presidential
powers
to
its
new
speaker, Oleksandr Turchinov, an ally of Tymoshenko. Pro-Russian protesters rally in Crimea
against the new Kiev administration.
Feb 24: Ukraine's interim government draws up a warrant for Yanukovich's arrest.
Feb 25: Pro-Russian Aleksey Chaly is appointed Sevastopols de facto mayor as rallies in
Crimea continue.
Feb 26: Crimean Tartars supporting the new Kiev administration clash with pro-Russia
protesters in the region. Potential members of the new Ukrainian government appear before
crowds in Independence Square. Turchinov announces disbanding of Berkut - the feared riot
police. Russian troops near border with Ukraine are put on alert and drilled for "combat
readiness".
Feb 27: Pro-Kremlin armed men seize government buildings in Crimea. Ukraine government
vows to prevent a country break-up as Crimean parliament set May 25 as the date for referendum
on regions status. Yanukovich is granted refuge in Russia.
Feb 28: Armed men in unmarked combat fatigues seize Simferopol International Airport and a
military airfield in Sevestopol. The Ukrainian government accuses Russia of aggression. United
Nations Security Council holds an emergency closed-door session to discuss the situation in
Crimea. The United States warns Russia of militarily intervening in Ukraine.
Moscow says military movements in Crimea are in line with previous agreements to protect its
fleet position in the Black Sea. Yanukovich makes his first public appearance, in southern
Russia.

March 1: As situation worsens in Crimea, local leaders ask for Russian President Vladimir
Putin's help. Russian upper house of the parliament approves a request by Putin to use military
power
in
Ukraine.
March 2: A convoy of hundreds of Russian troops heads towards the regional capital of
Ukraine's Crimea region, a day after Russia's forces took over the strategic Black Sea peninsula
without firing a shot. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warns Ukraine is on the "brink of
disaster" and accuses Russia of declaring war on his country.
March 3: NATO says Moscow is threatening peace and security in Europe - claims Russia said
would not help stabilise the situation. Russia's Black Sea Fleet tells Ukrainian navy in
Sevastopol, Crimea to surrender or face a military assault.
March 4: In his first public reaction to the crisis in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin
said his country reserves the right to use all means to protect its citizens in eastern Ukraine. Putin
issued the statement as tension break out in Crimea when Russian forces fired warning shots on
unarmed Ukrainian soldiers marching towards an airbase in Sevastopol

Correction: Ukraine-Protests-Timeline Story

March 3, 2014 (AP)
By The Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/key-events-ukraines-political-crisis-22748638

In a story Feb. 28 giving a timeline of events in Ukraine, The Associated Press reported
erroneously that scores of people were killed on Feb. 18. The figure should have been at least 26.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Key events in Ukraine's political crisis
Key events in Ukraine's political crisis
By The Associated Press
Key events in Ukraine's political crisis during the last three months:

Nov. 21: President Viktor Yanukovych's government announces it is abandoning an agreement

that would strengthen ties with the European Union and instead seeks closer cooperation with
Moscow. Protesters take to the streets.
Nov. 30: Images of protesters bloodied by police truncheons spread quickly and galvanize public
support for the demonstrations.
Dec. 1: A protest attracts around 300,000 people on Kiev's Independence Square, known as the
Maidan, the largest since the Orange Revolution in 2004. Activists seize Kiev City Hall.
Dec. 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin announces that Moscow will buy $15 billion worth of
Ukrainian government bonds and allow for a sharp cut in the price Ukrainians pay for Russian
natural gas.
Jan. 22: Two protesters die after being hit with live ammunition and the third after a fall during a
confrontation between police and demonstrators manning barricades, the first protest deaths.
Jan. 28: The prime minister resigns and parliament repeals the new harsh anti-protest laws that
set off the violence of a week earlier. Both are concessions to the opposition aimed at defusing
the crisis.
Jan. 31: Opposition activist Dmytro Bulatov, missing since Jan. 22, resurfaces badly bruised and
with part of his right ear cut off. He believes a pro-Russia group was behind his kidnapping and
torture, raising fears among the opposition that extrajudicial squads are being deployed to
intimidate protesters.
Feb. 16: Opposition activists end their occupation of Kiev City Hall in exchange for the release
of all 234 jailed protesters, in what is seen as a sign of progress toward resolving the crisis
peacefully.
Feb. 18: Street clashes erupt, leaving at least 26 dead and hundreds injured. The violence begins
when protesters attack police lines and set fires outside parliament after it stalls on taking up a
constitutional reform to limit presidential powers. Russia's offer the day before to resume
payments under the bailout deal also feeds opposition suspicions that Yanukovych has made a
deal with Moscow to stand firm against the protesters. Riot police respond to the violence by
trying to push protesters off Independence Square.
Feb. 20: Hours after a truce is announced, violence resumes with government snipers shooting
protesters from the roofs. Most of the 82 people who died in several days of violence were killed
on that day.
Feb. 21: Under a European-mediated plan, protest leaders and Yanukovych agree to form a new
government and hold an early election. Parliament slashes his powers and votes to free his rival,
former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, from prison. Yanukovych flees Kiev after protesters
take control of the capital.

Feb. 22 Parliament votes to remove Yanukovych and hold new elections. Tymoshenko is freed
from prison and speaks to tens of thousands who gather on the Maidan.
Feb. 23: Ukraine's parliament assigns presidential powers to its new speaker, Oleksandr
Turchinov, an ally of Tymoshenko. The new authorities ask the West for loans to avoid an
imminent default. Pro-Russia protesters start rallying against the new authorities in Crimea,
where Russia has a major naval base.
Feb. 24: Ukraine's interim government draws up a warrant for the fugitive president's arrest in
the killing of anti-government protesters. Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev derides the
new leaders in Kiev as "Kalashnikov-toting people in black masks."
Feb. 25: Rallies in Crimea against "the bandits" in Kiev continue. A Russian lawmaker promises
that Moscow will protect them.
Feb. 26: Leaders of Ukraine's protest movement propose top legislator Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the
country's next prime minister. In Moscow, Putin orders major military exercises just across the
border in a show of force and apparent displeasure over the country's new direction.
Feb. 27: Masked gunmen seize regional parliament and government buildings in Crimea.
Ukraine's newly formed government pledges to prevent a national breakup with strong backing
from the West. Yanukovych is granted refuge in Russia.
Feb. 28: Ukraine says Russian troops have taken up positions around a coast guard base and two
airports on its Crimea peninsula. In Kiev, Ukraine's parliament adopts a resolution demanding
that Russia halt steps it says are aimed against Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Yanukovych makes his first public appearance, in southern Russia, since fleeing Ukraine. He
says he was "forced" to do so and promises to "keep fighting for the future of Ukraine."