A deputy of the Ukrainian Rada who spoke on Russian TV from Moscow said that his contacts in the Crimea had informed him that the Ukrainian side had deployed unknown number of Grad BM-21M multiple-launch rocket systems (MRLS) just 2 way from the first Crimean checkpoints (these relatively old systems – they were built in the 1960s – have a 20 miles – 30km – range). Big demonstration in Kharkov
The situation outside Crimea is rapidly deteriorating. Yesterday, a SWAT team of the Ukrainian SBU has arrested the “popular governor” of the Donetsk region. He whereabouts are unknown. The local police has also arrested an unknown number of anti-insurgent demonstrators. Arrests of protesters have also happened in other cities of the Ukraine, including Odessa. To my knowledge there are no signs of police forces siding with the anti-insurgent forces anywhere
The Crimean authorities have just announced that the referendum of the future of the Crimea will be held on March 16 and that the two questions will be: Are you in favor of Crimea becoming a constituent territory of the Russian Federation? or Are you in favor of restoring Crimea’s 1992 constitution? Crimean MPs voted on Thursday for the region to “to become part of the Russian Federation as its
The situation in the city of Donetsk is becoming unstable again. The local people have elected a “people’s governor”, but the local police forces seem to be loyal to the oligarch appointed as governor by the insurgents. The local people had been occupying the local governor’s offices and parliament building until this morning when the police told them that there was a bomb threat and that they needed to evacuate.
A mass rally took place today in the city of Odessa. The demonstrators surrounded the local parliament building and demanded the the elected officials adopt a referendum on the future of the city of Odessa. The elected officials suggested a 1-2 days of cooling off. The demonstrators rejected that offer and stormed the building which they now control. Close to 700’000 refuges from the Ukraine have sought refuge in Russia.
