19:49
19.3.2014
It looks like the economic fallout of the situation in Ukraine could already be taking its toll:
Anglo-Dutch energy major Shell has announced it is withdrawing from a deal with Ukraine to develop an offshore gas field in the Black Sea, off the coast of Crimea.
Shell said in a statement today that it had terminated negotiations in January for developing the Skifska field.
The statement cited delays in signing a Production Sharing Agreement with Ukrainian authorities under the government of now-ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.
Shell said it still expected to fulfill deals for other projects in Ukraine.
Skifska is estimated to have some 200 to 250 billion cubic meters of gas.
Under Yanukovych, Ukraine selected Shell and ExxonMobil to develop the Skifska site in a move many saw as an attempt by Kyiv to wean Ukraine from its dependence on Russian energy imports. (AFP, Reuters)
Anglo-Dutch energy major Shell has announced it is withdrawing from a deal with Ukraine to develop an offshore gas field in the Black Sea, off the coast of Crimea.
Shell said in a statement today that it had terminated negotiations in January for developing the Skifska field.
The statement cited delays in signing a Production Sharing Agreement with Ukrainian authorities under the government of now-ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.
Shell said it still expected to fulfill deals for other projects in Ukraine.
Skifska is estimated to have some 200 to 250 billion cubic meters of gas.
Under Yanukovych, Ukraine selected Shell and ExxonMobil to develop the Skifska site in a move many saw as an attempt by Kyiv to wean Ukraine from its dependence on Russian energy imports. (AFP, Reuters)
19:53
19.3.2014
More economic repercussions:
Germany says it is suspending a military deal with Russia in response to Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
The German Economy Ministry said a contract signed in 2011 for the construction of a combat simulation center for Russian troops would not be fulfilled at the current time.
Reports say the deal between the Russian government and defense contractor Rheinmetall is worth about 100 million euros. German media have reported the combat simulation center was expected to be involved in training some 30,000 Russian soldiers per year.
The Economy Ministry said in a statement today that the export of the simulator is "not justifiable in the current situation."
Germany says Russia's actions in Crimea violate international law and has joined other European Union countries in imposing sanctions on Moscow. (AP,Reuters, AFP, and dpa)
Germany says it is suspending a military deal with Russia in response to Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
The German Economy Ministry said a contract signed in 2011 for the construction of a combat simulation center for Russian troops would not be fulfilled at the current time.
Reports say the deal between the Russian government and defense contractor Rheinmetall is worth about 100 million euros. German media have reported the combat simulation center was expected to be involved in training some 30,000 Russian soldiers per year.
The Economy Ministry said in a statement today that the export of the simulator is "not justifiable in the current situation."
Germany says Russia's actions in Crimea violate international law and has joined other European Union countries in imposing sanctions on Moscow. (AP,Reuters, AFP, and dpa)
20:08
19.3.2014
Exactly one month ago tonight. 4 weeks that changed #Ukraine forever. pic.twitter.com/3Ututsr6Qu via @kgorchinskaya
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) March 19, 2014
20:17
19.3.2014
Must-read @Reuters: "Moscow signals concern for Russians in Estonia" http://t.co/tZYkhPuZsj
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) March 19, 2014
20:28
19.3.2014
"The Moscow Times" is reporting that the new authorities in Crimea will ask Tatars to vacate part of the land where they now live in exchange for new territory elsewhere in the region.
21:52
19.3.2014
"Business New Europe" has published an extensive and useful analysis of how hard Crimea's annexation might hit Russia's coffers. It reckons that Moscow's actions could cost as much as $440 billion over the course of the year, and that's "before the West inflicts a single cent's worth of sanctions."
22:02
19.3.2014
We're wrapping up our live blogging for today. Before we go, we'll point you in the direction of an excellent piece by RFE/RL's Ivan Belyayev on where some Russians think Vladimir Putin should intervene next after Crimea.
09:01
20.3.2014
Good morning. We'll open our live blog today with the latest update on the Crimean situation from RFE/RL's news desk:
Ukraine and Russia clashed at a UN Security Council meeting late last night over Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
Kyiv's ambassador to the UN, Yuriy Sergeyev, told the meeting on Ukraine that Russia's annexation of the peninsula was "illegitimate" and constituted a "violent dismembering" of Ukrainian territory.
Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said people in Crimea voted freely in a referendum to join Russia and that "a historic injustice had been righted caused by a pen stroke of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev," who awarded Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic expressed concern over the security of Tatars and other ethnic minorities in Crimea, highlighting the disappearance of a Tatar activist after participating in a March 3 protest.
Simonovic said the activist was found dead March 16 and his body bore marks of "mistreatment."
Churkin dismissed Simonovic's assessment as "one-sided."
He also called Moscow's signing two days ago of annexation treaties with pro-Russian officials in Crimea "a truly historic event."
During the meeting, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, criticized Russia's "blatant disregard for global opinion and the legal rights of Ukraine."
It was the council's eighth meeting in three weeks on Ukraine.
Elsewhere, U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out any American military action in Ukraine.
Speaking yesterday in an interview with California NBC television outlet KNSD, Obama said "we are not going to be getting into a military excursion in Ukraine."
But he said Washington would continue to apply diplomatic and economic pressure upon Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine
Obama said, "What we are going to do is mobilize all of our diplomatic resources to make sure that we've got a strong international coalition that sends a clear message,"
He said that Russia had violated another country's sovereignty by marching into the Ukrainian region of Crimea and "might is not right." (AFP, nbcsandiego.com, Reuters, AP, dpa)
Ukraine and Russia clashed at a UN Security Council meeting late last night over Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
Kyiv's ambassador to the UN, Yuriy Sergeyev, told the meeting on Ukraine that Russia's annexation of the peninsula was "illegitimate" and constituted a "violent dismembering" of Ukrainian territory.
Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said people in Crimea voted freely in a referendum to join Russia and that "a historic injustice had been righted caused by a pen stroke of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev," who awarded Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic expressed concern over the security of Tatars and other ethnic minorities in Crimea, highlighting the disappearance of a Tatar activist after participating in a March 3 protest.
Simonovic said the activist was found dead March 16 and his body bore marks of "mistreatment."
Churkin dismissed Simonovic's assessment as "one-sided."
He also called Moscow's signing two days ago of annexation treaties with pro-Russian officials in Crimea "a truly historic event."
During the meeting, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, criticized Russia's "blatant disregard for global opinion and the legal rights of Ukraine."
It was the council's eighth meeting in three weeks on Ukraine.
Elsewhere, U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out any American military action in Ukraine.
Speaking yesterday in an interview with California NBC television outlet KNSD, Obama said "we are not going to be getting into a military excursion in Ukraine."
But he said Washington would continue to apply diplomatic and economic pressure upon Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine
Obama said, "What we are going to do is mobilize all of our diplomatic resources to make sure that we've got a strong international coalition that sends a clear message,"
He said that Russia had violated another country's sovereignty by marching into the Ukrainian region of Crimea and "might is not right." (AFP, nbcsandiego.com, Reuters, AP, dpa)
09:10
20.3.2014
Prominent Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny has an interesting op-ed piece in "The New York Times" today. He says Russian President Vladimir Putin has "cynically raised nationalist fervor to a fever pitch" and that "imperialist annexation is a strategic choice to bolster his regime’s survival." Navalny also says "sanctions should primarily target Mr. Putin’s inner circle, the Kremlin mafia who pillage the nation’s wealth."
09:13
20.3.2014
Putin's approval rating rockets to 76% in week ending 15/16 March. Reckon we see 80% in next poll pic.twitter.com/TQyrc3f2uw
— Charlie Robertson (@RencapMan) March 20, 2014