Read previous news on the topic: Ukrainian crisis: March 26
Defying Ukrainian protests and Western sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty in Moscow on Tuesday, March 18, making Crimea part of Russia again. He also said he didn't plan to seize any other regions of Ukraine.
On the same day a Ukrainian serviceman protecting one of the remaining Ukrainian bases in the main town of Simferopol on the peninsula came under attack - the first death in Crimea from a military clash since Russia seized control in late February. The Ukrainian authorities said the attackers had been wearing Russian military uniforms, and responded by authorizing its soldiers in Crimea to use weapons to protect their lives, reversing previous orders that they should avoid using arms against attack.
In response to Russia's actions, the EU, the U.S. and Canada have introduced a number of sanctions against Russian officials. Moscow responded with symmetrical sanctions.
As of March 24 there were around 100 thousands soldiers on the Russian side of the south-eastern borders of Ukraine and Crimea. On the same time Ukrainian soldiers were ordered to leave the peninsula.
00:11. Russian authorities should be aware of who is a citizen of the Russian who have citizenship of other states, and responsibility should be introduced for concealment of such information, Russia's Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with members of the Federation Council.
00:36. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has stopped the activities of a group of 40 people who tried to destabilize the situation in Kyiv by provoking clashes, headed by a former employee of the Sevastopol military intelligence unit of the Ministry of Defence, reported the press service of the SBU.
08:07. Head of the German Parliament, Norbert Lammert criticized the intention of Yulia Tymoshenko to take part in elections of the President of Ukraine.
The German politician noted that today Ukraine needs a president who is able to unite the country.
08:27. The Interior Ministry in the coming days will unveil all the documents as well as all video and audio files in the case of the death of the coordinator of the 'Right sector' civil movement Oleksandr Muzychko (Sashko Bily), Interior Minister Arsen Avakov wrote on Facebook.
08:34. The Crimean government has imposed a moratorium on the issuance of land and privatization of property, first Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea Rustam Temirgaliev wrote on Facebook.
08:45. During the last day more than 600 Russian units have pulled up to the border of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, head of the Center for Military-Political Studies Dmitry Tymchuk wrote on Facebook.
09:17. Russian Foreign Ministry has called the UN General Assembly resolution on Ukraine counter-productive and urged the international community to stabilize the situation in the country. Challenge the annexation of Crimea to Russia is useless, says a statement, published on the ministry's web-site.
09:31. Euromaidan Self-Defence fighters are holding a rally against the 'Right sector' civil movement' under the Verkhovna Rada's building. The accuse this organization of helping Russia's Vladimit Putin to destabilize the situation in the country (pictures).
10:15. Ukraine's parliament has registered a draft resolution on dismissal of Arsen Avakov from a post of Interior Minister.
10:20. The Verkhovna Rada has created a commission to investigate the situation with the death of the coordinator of the 'Right sector' civil movement Oleksandr Muzychko (Sashko Bily).
11:21. Ousted president Viktor Yanukovich in his address to the Ukrainian people, spread through the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, asked a congress of the Part of Regions to remove him for a post of honorary chairman of the party and exclude him from it. He also called for a referendum in each region of Ukraine.
11:51. Crimeans who do not wish to receive Russian citizenship have to pay a fee of two thousand rubles (just over 600 UAH or $60), head of the department for the organization of registration and passport work Aleksandr Aksenov stated during a press conference. So far only about 20 thousand Crimeans have applied for A Russian passport to the migration service.
12:23. A company 'Russian Railways' has offered to build a railway section Zhuravka-Chertkovo between Voronezh and Rostov regions bypassing Ukraine, the first vice-president of Russian Railways Vadim Morozov said at a meeting of the Russian Federal Agency for Railway Transport. A cost of this project is assessed as nearly $2 billion.
12:39. Ousted president Viktor Yanukovich in his address to the Party of regions has said that he refused to sign the agreement with the EU because of the Ukrainian commodity producers, who, in his opinion, would become uncompetitive, which would mean the loss of jobs. Yanukovich said he could not do it 'as president and patriot of his country'.
12:49. The Party of Regions MP Oleg Tsarev has submitted documents to the Central Election Commission for registration as a presidential candidate.
12:52. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to begin transferring to Ukraine arms and military equipment stationed in Crimea and remaining in Ukrainian military units, which had not sided with the Russian army.
13:02. Russian government at a meeting on Friday decided to allocate 13.1 billion rubles (over $360 million) from the federal budget to Crimea and Sevastopol. The money will be provided from the budget of the Russian crisis fund in the form of grants to support measures to balance the budgets of the region, the press service of the Russian government reported.
13:05. Hungary opposes EU economic sanctions against Russia after its invasion in Ukraine, reports Reuters citing an interview with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, published on Friday.
13:12. Russia currently considers presidential elections in Ukraine scheduled for May 25 illegitimate, Russia's permanent representative to the OSCE in Vienna Andrei Kelin said on Friday. According to him, Ukraine urgently needs a constitutional reform.
13:38. Three Euromaidan activists have been included into a temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada to clarify the circumstances of the death of the 'Right sector' social movement coordinator Oleksandr Muzychko (Sashko Bily).
13:55. A campaign 'Support Ukrainian army' to assist the Armed Forces of Ukraine has gathered more than 60 million hryvnia ($6 million) on the accounts of the Defence Ministry, reported the ministry's press service.
14:22. Famous Russian cultural figures, human rights activists and businessmen appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the State Duma of the Federation Council, the General Director of the First Channel and NTV in protection of leader of a musical group 'Mashina Vremeni' ('Time Machine') Andrei Makarevich, who's being 'persecuted' since he openly supported the Ukrainian side in the conflict with Moscow.
14:29. Crimean Tatars are going to hold their own referendum to determine the future of Crimea, leader of the Crimean Tatar people, the 'Batkivschyna' party MP Mustafa Dzhemil stated.
He also said that because of fear of terror some women and children of the Crimean Tatars were forced to leave Crimea. He also noted that international response to the occupation of Crimea By Russia is insufficient.
14:40. Ukraine's Cabinet has decided to pay 104 families of those killed on Independence Square a single aid package amounting to 100 minimum subsistence level or 117600 UAH (about $10 thousand).
14:51. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk believes that the amount of taxes in Ukraine should be reduced to eight. Thus, a new Tax Code should be introduced in the country.
15:01. The International Monetary Fund and Ukraine are discussing disbursement of $3 billion in the first tranche of a $14-18 billion bailout package, Ukraine's finance minister said on Friday.
The deal, announced on Thursday and which will also unlock further credits to a total of $27 billion, is intended to help the heavily-indebted country stabilize its economy after months of political turmoil.
The agreement is also subject to approval by IMF management and the executive board, which will consider it in April.
Conditions sought by the IMF include allowing the national currency, the hryvnia, to float more freely against the dollar, increasing the price of gas for domestic consumers, overhauling finances in the energy sector and following a more stringent fiscal policy.
The Kyiv government has already taken a step towards the IMF by announcing it will raise gas prices for domestic users by more than 50 per cent from May 1.
15:04. Russia has started a process of denunciation of a number of bilateral Russian-Ukrainian documents concerning the Black Sea Fleet, including the 'Kharkiv agreements', RIA Novosti reported with reference to Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
15:10. The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the embassy of Ukraine in Russia in which Russia announced its intention to terminate the agreements on the Black Sea Fleet.
15:28. Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Yuriy Prodan told journalists that Russia will have to apply to an international court for denunciation of the 'Kharkiv agreements'.
15:40. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has stated that the denunciation of Russian agreements with Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet will lead to of the Russian fleet in Crimea stay considered illegal.
16:08. Individual MP Oleg Lyashko submitted to the CEC documents and bail in the amount of 2.5 million UAH to register as a presidential candidate.
16:18. The General Prosecutor's Office has opened the fifth criminal proceeding against ousted president Viktor Yanukovich for his calls to Ukrainian regions on holding separatist referendums.
16:42. The Central Election Commission at a meeting on Friday has registered the Verkhovna Rada MP from the Party of Regions Sergiy Tigipko, former chairman of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Mykhailo Dobkin and businessman Vadim Rabinovich as presidential candidates.
16:54. The Security Service of Ukraine has adopted a decision on expulsion of Russian political strategist Igor Shuvalov from Ukraine. He was charged with intervention in the information sphere of the country.
16:57. Russian bank 'Russia' has abandoned operations in dollars in response to the U.S. sanctions.
17:22. Customs office of the self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea has started using Russian ruble in the middle of this week. During the first two days - March 26 and 27 - the Crimean customs transferred more than 5.5 million rubles (approximately 1.5 million UAH) in the budget of the peninsula.
17:34. Special correspondent for the Russian newspaper 'Kommersant' Ilya Barabanov tweeted 'recommendations' to programs on Russian TV channels.
He said that Russian journalists, in particular, have to explain that 'in 23 years of membership in the independent Ukraine Crimea mainly degraded' and 'the purpose of the Russian authorities now is to ensure the emergence of a new life on the peninsula, to lead Crimea all-Russian standards of life'.
17:42. Ukrainian servicemen, who refused to side with Russia will be helped to move to the mainland, will be provided with accommodation and financial support, founder of the charitable fund 'Together into the future', MP Ruslan Solvar said at a round table on 'Crimean crisis: humanitarian aspect' in Kyiv.
18:06. The Interior Ministry reported that an audio recording of a telephone conversation allegedly between the staff of Special Forces 'Sokil' on preparations to elimination of leader of the 'Right sector' civil movement Dmitry Yarosh that was published in the Internet, is a provocation to destabilize the situation in the country, says s statement of the Interior Ministry for Combating Organized Crime.