The Russian Ministry of Defense has ordered brigades of military medical teams to be urgently dispatched to the Ukrainian border, another sign that Moscow is preparing for war after tens of thousands of troops were sent to the border region for drills. According to a translated report by St. Petersburg’s Rustlegraph news agency: By order of the Ministry of Defense in the Military Medical Academy... 

Russia has raised concern over Ukraine’s military build-up in the region, urging members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to address the issue in an upcoming meeting. According to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday, Kiev interim authorities have deployed 11,000 troops, 230 armored vehicles, 160 tanks and 150 artillery pieces to southeastern... 

There’s gunfire, explosions and brutal clashes in the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as fighting erupted between pro- and anti-govt protesters, RT’s stringer reports from the scene. 14 people have asked for medical assistance, with several hospitalized, after clashes in Donetsk, the regional administration told Interfax-Ukraine news agency. According to Novosti Donbassa (Donbas News),... 

This satellite image dated April 25 shows Ukrainian armored vehicles positioned near the city of Slavyansk, eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles have been stationed en masse around the Donetsk region city of Slavyansk, satellite images leaked to media reveal. A Russian defense source says that artillery and rocket systems have also been deployed to the area. RIA Novosti on Saturday... 

A Russian Yak-130 combat training jet. The war of words between the United States and Russia has heated up over Crimea and eastern Ukraine with US military officials now saying that Russian fighter jets crossed into Ukrainian airspace several times over the past 24 hours. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists about the issue, said... 

Ukraine’s Acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia Ukraine acting foreign minister says Kiev is ready to fight Russian troops if Moscow deploys forces to the country. “The Ukrainian people and Ukrainian army are ready to do this. Ukraine will confront Russia. We will defend our land. We will defend our territory,” the Associated Press quoted Andriy Deshchytsia as saying. The Ukrainian official... 

Russia holds military drills near the Ukrainian border as a response to Kiev’s using armed forces against pro-Russian protestors and NATO’s recent European exercises. Russia’s military drills came on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of using armed forces against protesters in Ukraine’s eastern regions. Earlier on Thursday Ukrainian troops entered the eastern city... 

Five anti-government protesters have reportedly been killed and one injured in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slavyansk after Kiev authorities sent tanks and armored vehicles against the local population. “During the antiterrorist operation, three checkpoints erected by illegal military groups have been destroyed in the northeastern part of Slavyansk,” the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said, adding:... 

Defected Ukrainian soldiers socializing with Russian civilians in east of Ukraine. Reports from Slavyansk say that the army troops sent to the eastern Ukrainian city for an “anti-terrorist operation” are leaving en masse. Some troops are openly voicing support for the eastern Ukrainians, while others are speaking out against a war. According to Interfax, citing local self-defense activists, some... 

Ukrainian security forces have launched a crackdown on separatist protesters in the eastern town of Slavyansk, where pro-Russian protesters have seized government buildings. “An anti-terrorist operation has begun in Slavyansk. It is being directed by the anti-terrorist center of the state security service. Forces from all the security units of the country have been brought in,” Ukraine’s Acting... 

Ukraine has stopped pumping Russian gas to its underground storages as Ukraine does not accept the natural gas price of $485 per 1,000 cubic meters. Russia has recently eliminated a gas discount it had given Ukraine, arguing that it was tied to a lease for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea peninsula. Officials say they are ready to pay $268 while Russia pointed to $2.2 billion debt Ukraine... 

Four parliamentary parties in Ukraine nominated candidates for the presidential election. Not all of these candidates are registered, but they are the most likely contenders. The Russian Federation was in a difficult situation. On the one hand, it is clear that the elections are illegitimate, on the other hand, it will be necessary to establish relationship with the new president. Recognizing the... 

Ukraine’s self-imposed president Aleksandr Turchinov has ordered the protester-held local govt HQ in Donetsk to be taken under ‘state protection’ as armed personnel and armored vehicles have been reported moving into the eastern region of Ukraine. According to a decree signed by Turchinov, the local administration building in Donetsk and surrounding territory is an “important government facility,... 

Ukraine lawmakers have engaged in a fistfight following a sharp division that emerged between opposing factions over events in the east of the country. Lawmakers traded punches in Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev on Tuesday following a controversial statement by one of the politicians during a heated debate on the unrest in the country. The ruckus unfolded after Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform... 

People in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv have declared independence from Kiev following a same move by pro-Russians in Donetsk. Protesters announced on Monday the formation of the Independent People’s Republic of Kharkiv outside the regional administration building. They also held their own election of what they call national lawmakers. Moreover, the demonstrators clashed with pro-Ukraine groups...