Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, March 18, 2014. US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Russia about the Ukraine crisis, saying the “nationalistic fervor” in Crimea is similar to the build-up before World War II. During a speech at the State Department on Tuesday, Kerry said he saw a “nationalist fervor which could, in fact, infect in ways... 

American and German inspectors will make observation flights over Russia and Belarus within the framework of the international treaty on Open Skies. The mission is set to verify the true position of Russian troops and military equipment. Starting from March 17, military inspectors from the United States and Germany will perform flights over European Russia and Belarus to check the real whereabouts... 

The referendum on independence in Crimea was conducted in strict accordance with democratic principles and the international law, President Vladimir Putin told the Federal Assembly, as he was welcomed by a standing ovation. Putin stressed that the results of the referendum, in which more than 82 percent of Crimean residents came to polling stations and more than 96 percent of those voted for rejoining... 

Slavic Union head Dmitry Demushkin takes part in the Russian March in Moscow. Dmitry Dyomushkin has been found guilty of organizing a “criminal organization” after it was established that his group, the Slavic Union was renamed and continued to operate despite a legal ban. A district communist magistrate court in Moscow sentenced the nationalist to a fine that should be then be lifted due... 

Crimea has declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to join Russia, following a referendum in which Crimeans overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation. The Crimean Supreme Council passed the decree on Monday after all the 85 lawmakers present in the 100-seat assembly voted in support of seceding from Ukraine. “The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of... 

The United States says it does not recognize the outcome of the referendum held in the Ukrainian region of Crimea and is preparing to impose retaliatory penalties against Russia if it annexes the strategic peninsula on the Black Sea. “The United States has steadfastly supported the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine since it declared its independence in 1991, and we... 

Over 95 percent of voters in the Crimean referendum have answered ‘yes’ to the autonomous republic joining Russia and less than 5 percent of the vote participants want the region to remain part of Ukraine, according to preliminary results. With over 75 percent of the votes already counted, preliminary result show that 95.7 percent of voters said ‘yes’ to the reunion of the republic... 

A new report circulating in the Kremlin today prepared by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GRU) states that Aerospace Defence Forces (VKO) experts remain “puzzled” as to why the United States Navy “captured and then diverted” a Malaysia Airlines civilian aircraft from its intended flight-path to their vast and highly-secretive Indian Ocean base located... 

Russia is ready to retaliate with counter sanctions against the EU and US if they go ahead with economic measures against Russia over tension in Crimea, the Russian Economic Ministry has said. “We hope that there will only be targeted political sanctions, and not a broad package affecting economic trade,” Deputy Economic Development Minister Aleksey Likhachev said. “Our sanctions will be,... 

Grainy footage apparently shows Russian tanks on the way to the Donetsk region border. Ukraine warned last night that 80,000 Russian troops were massing on its borders and could invade – as world leaders told Vladimir Putin to back off. A senior security chief in Kiev said Moscow could launch a full-scale invasion and Russian troops would be in the Ukrainian capital within ‘two or three hours’... 

In a confidence-building step, Russia’s Defense Ministry has given permission for a surveillance flight by Ukraine over Russian territory near the border between the countries. Kiev had claimed Moscow was building up its military presence there. “The Ukrainians have asked for an unscheduled observation flight over our territory,” Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters in Moscow. Russia... 

Washington’s decision to provide financial aid to the coup-appointed government of Ukraine goes against the US laws, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, urging American politicians to think about the consequences of supporting the radicals in Kiev. Ukraine’s ousted president, Viktor Yanukovich, said on Tuesday that the US plans to loan $1 billion to the country’s new authorities are illegal. “Indeed,... 

A stunning Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) report circulating in the Kremlin today says the President Putin’s outright rejection of a US proposal to resolve the dispute over Ukraine that had been put forward by Secretary of State John Kerry was due to the Russian leaders “fury” over a secret report given to Moscow this past weekend by Saudi Arabia which effectively branded the Obama regime... 

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has called on the UN Security Council to launch an investigation into all events that led to the “forcible change of power” in Ukraine. Speaking in a news program on the Russian television on Saturday, Churkin said it is necessary to thoroughly probe the recent developments in Ukraine, including the use of snipers. “All events … must... 

Did somebody say de-escalation? Earlier today, photos were distributed showing the latest military convoy reinforcements heading into the Crimea, accompanies by a Police car demonstrating Moscow license plate numbers, most likely providing further support to the pro-Russian forces in the peninsula. Supposedly the trucks are carrying troops to reinforces the members of the new Crimean army, pictured...