Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

More quotes from Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov at his news conference in Kyiv today, when he announced the conclusions concerning the Euromaidan demonstrators' shooting deaths:

"The former leadership of the interior ministry and the special services -- the Berkut -- did everything to make an investigation impossible. They burnt clothes, threw away weapons, destroyed all documents."

"According to the weapons expert, eight people were killed by one of the guns. It means that it was a targeted shooting by one of these employees [of Berkut]."

Lavrov told reporters in Moscow today in connection with the Ukrainian probe that concluded snipers loyal to Yanukovych opened fire on demonstrators in February that "the truth about snipers has to be established in a transparent way." Russia has previously suggested that Ukrainian ultranationalists were responsible for the firing that erupted as part of an alleged effort to spark chaos. Ukrainian security officials said earlier today that the killings of protesters in Kyiv occurred "under the direct leadership" of Yanukovych, and accused Russian security services of involvement in the repression.

In his latest strong words for Moscow, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said Russia's allegations that NATO has violated agreements are just "propaganda" and "disinformation."

Russia’s deputy foreign minister accused the U.S. of having "childish tantrums” in response to the annexation of Crimea and joked Thursday that Americans should “practice yoga” and watch sitcoms in order to help them chill out.

From the wires, via our news desk:

The Kremlin may not be happy with all the "Crimean Anschluss" talk.

In a news conference today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov referred to the Montreux Convention, which restricts how long naval ships not belonging to Black Sea states can remain in its waters.

Here's a little more background on this document, as compiled by RFE/RL's Information Unit

• The Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits 1936 (the Montreux Convention) governs transit of vessels through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits that connect the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. This compound strait, which also includes the inland Sea of Marmara, is completely surrounded by Turkey, and provides the only access to the ocean for Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Georgia.
• Freedom of navigation by warships through the straits is accorded by a formula that depends on whether they occur during time of peace, time of war in which Turkey is a neutral power, time of war when Turkey is a belligerent and periods of time Turkey considers itself threatened or in imminent danger of war.
• During time of peace, or during war when Turkey is a neutral power, nine or fewer light warships and auxiliary vessels may transit the straits simultaneously, so long as their aggregate tonnage does not exceed 15,000 tons. Aircraft carriers are not permitted, a limitation that caused controversy beginning in the mid-1970s when smaller Russian carriers were classified as “aircraft-carrying cruisers” to avoid the rule.
• Black Sea states enjoy greater rights to transit the straits with heavy surface vessels, and they are not bound by restrictions that limit the number of warships or length of stay of warships from non-Black Sea naval forces. Each warship from a non-Black Sea state may remain in the Black Sea for no more than 21 days, and the maximum aggregate tonnage of all non-Black Sea warships in the Black Sea is 45,000 tons.
• Under terms of the treaty, during a period when Turkey is at war, or, as the treaty states, "should Turkey consider herself to be threatened with imminent danger of war," the passage of warships falls entirely within the discretion of the Turkish government. In such circumstances, merchant ships continue to enjoy transit rights, although they must enter in daylight and comply with traffic separation schemes and mandatory pilotage established by Turkey. (Source: World Politics Review)

Here's an update on Gazprom's meeting with Naftogaz officials today:

Ramzan Kadyrov opens account with Rossiya Bank - target of US sanctions. http://t.co/VNxzCNMq78

— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) April 3, 2014