Ukraine Announces Anti-Terrorist Operation

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov stated to Parliament: "The aim of these actions is to protect the citizens of Ukraine, to stop terror, to stop criminality, to stop attempts to tear Ukraine to pieces". Violence has increased this week and armed forces are in place in the resistant area. Monday morning's deadline for the withdrawal of pro-Russian demonstrators was ignored.

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council confirmed that 350 troops have been directed to Donetsk from Kiev today. The nation's strategy will be finalized after the troops arrive in the region; many of them have only had a few weeks of proper military training. Special forces do have control of an airfield in Donetsk. Ukraine's security and defense premiers are scheduled to conduct a closed session Parliament meeting, tomorrow morning.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared today,"I call on Russia to de-escalate the crisis, to pull back its troops from Ukraine's borders, to stop destabilizing the situation in Ukraine and make clear that it doesn't support the violent actions of pro-Russian separatists...Russia should stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution".