Reuters reports that the top U.S. general in Europe, U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, has cut short a Washington visit to return to Europe amid "uncertainty," according to the Pentagon, which calls it a "prudent" move given the "lack of transparency" over Russian troop movements.
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Interfax quotes the Ukrainian Defense Ministry as saying the U.S. government has supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with about 330,000 inidividual field rations known as MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat). The ministry said a truck convoy delivered the last shipment of the aid to Ukraine on Saturday.
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Germany's "Der Spiegel" says Berlin is considering offering military support to some Eastern European members of NATO in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea. "Der Spiegel" said the Defense Ministry is ready to make available up to six aircraft for a strengthened air-patrolling mission in parts of Eastern Europe.
But in and around Belgorod, which sits a scant 40 miles from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and a likely target in case of an invasion, any increased military presence is largely kept out of the public eye. In a region that appears far from being on the brink of war, life continues as normal here, and many residents say they do not want war, dismissing reports of a buildup as rumors set to discredit Russia.
... "Show me the tanks first, show me anything here that proves all this, and then we can talk about an invasion,” said Pyotr Kudryavtsev, a retiree walking away from the tracks near the Vesyolaya Lopan station south of Belgorod, where scores of military vehicles were filmed being unloaded on March 12. Mr. Kudryavtsev, like other locals interviewed, denied this, saying that the heavy tracks in the mud close to the rails belonged to construction vehicles.
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Ukraine's Foreign Ministry responds to comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in which he suggested that the only way to resolve the crisis was by turning Ukraine into a federation in which its Russified regions would have broader rights, via AFP:
"We would like to urge Russia, before it presses its ultimatums on a sovereign and independent nation, to take note of the catastrophic state and complete powerlessness of its own ethnic minorities, including Ukrainians.
"Why not make other languages besides Russian into a state language -- including Ukrainian, the language of millions of Russian citizens?
"Stop preaching to others. And instead, start putting things right in your own country. After all, you have so many problems."
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It's a few days old, but this "Kyiv Post" article has fascinating details (and photographs) about the "loot" left behind by Ukraine's former officials after they fled, including a safe belonging to former Energy Minister Eduard Stavitsky that was allegedly stuffed with $5 million in cash.
