Ukraine in maps: How the crisis spread

from  bbc

The crisis in Ukraine began in November last year when pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned a deal with the EU in favour of stronger ties with Russia.

Protests erupted in the capital Kiev and quickly escalated as government buildings were seized in cities across the western regions of Ukraine.

Protests in western Ukraine

On 20 February at least 88 people were killed in 48 hours in Kiev.

Videos showed uniformed snipers firing at protesters holding makeshift shields. President Yanukovych signed a ceasefire deal with the opposition but then disappeared and parliament voted to remove him from power.

Ukraine has been torn between east and west since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. While Ukrainian is the main language in western regions, Russian is predominant in parts of the east and south.

The division is also reflected in voting patterns. Mr Yanukovych received most support in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine in the 2010 election.

Protests spread south to Crimea

On 27-28 February pro-Russian gunmen seized key buildings in the Crimean capital, Simferopol.

Within days the parliament voted to join Russia and called a referendum.

The majority of Crimea's 2.3 million population identify themselves as ethnic Russians and speak Russian - a legacy of Russia's 200-year involvement in the region.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet also has its historic base in the Crimean coastal city of Sevastopol.

On 16 March, 97% of voters reportedly backed the proposal to join Russia. That figure was later disputed, with leaked documents showing only 50-60% support for the move.

The EU and US condemned the "annexation" of Crimea and imposed sanctions on Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Trouble spreads east

Pro-Russian sentiment is strong in eastern regions such as Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine's industrial heartland. After the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Crimea, there were reports of large numbers of Russian troops gathering just over the border.

On 7 April protesters occupied government buildings in the eastern cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv.

Although the Kharkiv building was retaken the following day, the occupations spread to other cities, and a number of pro-Russian leaders declared that referendums on granting greater autonomy to eastern regions would be held on 11 May.

On 17 April, the US, EU, Russia and Ukraine reached a deal in Geneva to "de-escalate" the crisis quickly, but the agreement quickly unravelled.

On 25 April eight Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) military observers were detained by pro-Russian separatists near Sloviansk, accused of being spies.

They were eventually released after a week in captivity. But violent clashes continued in the city.

Dozens die in Odessa

On 2 May the conflict moved to the Black Sea city of Odessa where at least 46 pro-Russian activists were killed when a trade union building they had sought refuge in caught fire.

The trouble in Odessa erupted as, further east, Ukrainian forces began to challenge pro-Russian insurgents more aggressively, in many places winning back territory.

Eastern referendum

On 7 May Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that referendums on independence for eastern regions should be postponed.

However a day later, pro-Russian activists in Donetsk and Luhansk said that they would go ahead with their planned votes, with millions of ballot papers printed.

The interim Ukrainian Government said it would ignore the outcome of any vote, and press ahead with its "anti-terror" operations against the separatists.

The EU said that any vote "could have no democratic legitimacy and would only worsen the situation".

Ukraine's economic ties

Elections for a new president in Ukraine are due to be held on 25 May. The OSCE is calling for a ceasefire ahead of the poll to enable voting to go ahead.

Ukraine has economic ties to both the EU and Russia.

Ukraine imports most of its gas and oil from Russia - and because energy has been heavily subsidised the country has become overly-reliant on fuel imports.

About one-third of Europe's gas also comes from Russia - about half of it through Ukraine.

Gas pipelines across Eastern Europe

Ukraine is heavily in debt. A rescue package agreed with Russia was cancelled after the protesters forced out Mr Yanukovych.

The International Monetary Fund has now approved a $17.1 bn (£10.1 bn) bailout for Ukraine the help the country's struggling economy. With funds from other donors, including the EU, the total package will be worth £32.1bn.

But the loan is dependent on strict economic reforms, including raising taxes and energy prices, which are unlikely to prove popular with voters.

Share this page

General Declares Martial Law Across Thailand Amid Paralyzing Protests

from nytimes


By THOMAS FULLERMAY 19, 2014

BANGKOK — The head of Thailand’s army declared what he described as nationwide martial law early Tuesday and urged protesters who have paralyzed the government and blocked elections to “stop their movement.” The order also appeared to apply to pro-government demonstrators who are leading a separate protest.

In a country where the army has staged more than a dozen coups in recent decades it was not immediately clear what degree of control the military planned to take this time. The presence of soldiers on the streets of Bangkok was relatively sparse early Tuesday.

“The army intends to bring peace to the beloved country of all Thais as soon as possible,” said Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the head of the army, in a nationally televised speech broadcast at 6:30 a.m. “We would like to urge people from every group to stop their movement in order to quickly find a sustainable solution for the country.”

General Prayuth said martial law had been imposed “in order to keep peace and order efficiently and to bring back peace to the people.”

Soldiers went to television stations before dawn Tuesday, informing them that they should broadcast the speech.

In his speech, General Prayuth cited “ill-willed people who created violence by using weapons of war” for his decision. More than 25 people have been killed in political violence since the protests began six months ago.

A movement to oust the government has the backing of the Bangkok establishment and is seeking to put in place an appointed prime minister. Led by a former opposition politician, Suthep Thaugsuban, the movement has obstructed elections and is seeking the removal of the country’s caretaker government.The military has refused to take sides between the protest movement and the caretaker government.

The antigovernment movement has shut down government buildings and continues to occupy the prime minister’s office. The courts have issued numerous favorable rulings to the movement, including the removal of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra earlier this month and an order barring the dispersal of the protests.

The imposition of a state of emergency earlier this year failed to quell violence and was withdrawn.

Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the protest movement, posted a message on his Facebook page on Tuesday that said the protesters would “temporarily suspend our movement today” because of the imposition of martial law. But it was unclear if they would disperse.

The movement’s satellite television station showed protest leaders continuing to address crowds from their stage across from the United Nations building in Bangkok. The movement is seeking the eradication from politics of the country’s most powerful political family, which is led by Ms. Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former business tycoon. Mr. Thaksin was removed by the military in a 2006 military coup but his party, which draws its strength from the provinces, has defied the traditional elites in Bangkok. The party has won every election in the country since 2001.

Stakes raised in Ukraine crisis

from bbc

6 May 2014 Last updated at 13:26 ET

By Jonathan MarcusBBC diplomatic correspondent

Ukrainian government troops have destroyed a number of separatist checkpoints in the east

Continue reading the main story

Ukraine crisis

• Odessa explained
• Wild east
• Europe shaken
• Odessa anger

The crisis in Ukraine is entering a new and more dangerous phase where all of the parties involved have to determine what level of risk they are prepared to take to try to ensure their recipe for the country's future prevails.

The Ukrainian government in Kiev - after a shaky start - has finally begun to try to seize back control of eastern towns and government buildings from pro-Russian gunmen.

Instead of melting away or handing their armoured vehicles over to the "green men", pro-Kiev security forces are fighting and fighting hard.

The rebels have shot down several Ukrainian military helicopters

They are taking casualties, but they are inflicting greater casualties on their opponents. Their helicopter losses to shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles are significant - another sign, say Nato insiders, of the professional help being afforded to the separatists by Russia.

On the political front the government in Kiev insists that any locally-organised referendums or ballots in the eastern part of the country will be illegal. It looks forward, as planned, to holding a nationwide presidential ballot on 25 May.

'Calling Moscow's bluff'

Russia's goals in this crisis have not changed. Moscow insists that it is simply acting to protect fellow Russian-speakers.

But Western leaders believe that it is intent upon wrecking any chance of holding truly national presidential elections. Its longer-term aim is to undermine and weaken the government in Kiev.

However, on the ground the balance of advantage may be subtly changing.

President Putin may have some tough decisions to take in the near future

While many buildings and roadblocks remain in separatist hands, the Kiev government's ability to mount a reasonably effective security operation has raised the stakes for Moscow.

Russia hoped that by massing troops on Ukraine's frontier - while seeking to infiltrate and undermine Kiev's authority from within - it could achieve a looser, more decentralised Ukraine.

For a while this seemed to be working. Kiev's authority was cowed and the willingness of its troops to fight was questionable.

That seems to have changed. Kiev is in effect calling Moscow's military bluff, bringing closer the moment when President Vladimir Putin must decide whether or not to use overt military force.

The separatist-backed referendum in the Donetsk region is planned for 11 May

That is why this current moment is so dangerous.

Kiev is trying to calibrate its security operations in such a way as to avoid forcing Russia's hand. This will take a good measure of skill as well as luck.

Clumsy operations that lead to significant civilian casualties could change the Kremlin's calculations.

Indeed, the danger of an unplanned incident on the ground changing the terms of this conflict is real and ever present. The fire in Odessa that cost more than 40 lives is a good example of this kind of escalation.

'Adversary'

Meanwhile, the outside world looks on with mounting concern at a political landscape that at a local level is beginning to look like a scene from the conflicts in Bosnia or Kosovo.

The West is united in its backing for the Kiev government and the condemnation of Russia's role inside Ukraine is ever more strident.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has gone so far as to describe Russia as more of an adversary today than a partner.

But still the West's rhetoric is much tougher than its actions. There clearly is a hope that the token sanctions so far will have caught Mr Putin's attention.

That may be an illusion.

What is really concentrating his mind is Kiev's willingness and ability to fight back. The Ukrainian security operations have only made modest progress. Difficult days lie ahead.

But Russia now has to weigh up if it has achieved as much as it can by covert means.

And it must make an assessment of the likely consequences of giving its troops a green light to advance.

The West's response so far has been limited. But can Mr Putin really bank on the likelihood that this state of affairs will continue?

More on This Story

Climate change is already affecting all of U.S., report says

from latimes






By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, NEELA BANERJEEcontact the reporters

Climate change already causing hotter summers, shorter winters, worse allergies, report says

'Climate change is happening right now — we can't think of this as an issue for future generations'

Climate change is already being felt in every region of the United States, resulting in hotter summers, shorter winters, extreme precipitation, even worsening allergies that will change the way Americans live, according to a government report released Tuesday.

The National Climate Assessment, mandated by Congress and published every four years to guide policymakers, offers sobering details of climate change's immediate effects.

"The overall message is that climate change is happening right now — we can't think of this as an issue for future generations," said Radley Horton, one of the lead authors and a climate scientist at the Earth Institute's Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University. "We know that the effects on ecosystems, infrastructure, economics and public health are going to grow."

The climate change report released by the federal government Tuesday shows concerns for the effects climate change may have on the food supply.

The report sketches out grim scenarios for different regions. The Northeast and Midwest, for instance, would see many more heavy downpours that could lead to flooding and erosion. The Southwest, including California, would be more prone to extreme heat, drought and wildfire, while the Northwest could see a widespread tree die-off because of wildfire, insect outbreaks and disease.

"Evidence of climate change appears in every region and impacts are visible in every state," the report asserts, saying that a national infrastructure built to withstand "historical conditions" already is being overwhelmed by prolonged rains, rapid snowmelt and extreme heat.

lRelated

SCIENCE NOW

Climate change could worsen ozone levels across the U.S., study says

SEE ALL RELATED

4

The assessment tackles head-on humanity's contribution to climate change, the thorniest question tied to the issue and the heart of the debate that has deadlocked efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. A variety of evidence confirms human activities have driven global warming over the last 50 years, the report concludes, citing specifically the emissions of heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

Arguments often used to deny that man-made climate change is occurring are dismissed in decisive language. The idea that warming temperatures have been caused by greater solar activity or volcanic eruptions, for example, is not supported by satellite data, the report states. A recent pause in the rise of global average land temperatures "appears to be related to cyclic changes in the oceans and in the sun's energy output," it says.

The report's message tracks closely with the Obama administration's vow to push climate change near the top of the president's agenda, after being criticized by supporters for neglecting it in his first term.

Los Angeles Times

The White House has worked over the last five years to curb greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and, more recently, power plants. But in the last few months, the administration has gone a step further, launching initiatives meant to make preparing for climate change a backyard issue for Americans.

"We want to emphasize to the public, this is not some distant problem of the future. This is a problem that is affecting Americans right now, whether it means increased flooding, greater vulnerability to drought, more severe wildfires," President Obama said in a Rose Garden interview with Al Roker, weatherman for NBC's "Today" show, one of a number of local and national TV weather forecasters invited for the report's unveiling.

Surveys show that most Americans trust their television weather guides as reliable sources on climate change.

cComments

Got something to say? Start the conversation and be the first to comment.

ADD A COMMENT

0

The report, written by more than 240 scientists, businesspeople and other experts, uses existing data to make the case that climate change is a fact whose effects will widen. It says the U.S. annual mean temperature since the late 19th century has risen by 1.3 to 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the study, with most of the increase occurring since 1970. "Temperatures are projected to rise another 2 degrees to 4 degrees [Fahrenheit] in most areas" of the country over the next few decades, according to the report.

If the U.S. and other big polluters cut emissions considerably, U.S. temperatures would rise about 3 degrees to 5 degrees by the end of the century. Under today's "business-as-usual scenario," U.S. average temperatures would rise by 5 degrees to 10 degrees, which means that summers in New Hampshire by the end of the century would be as hot as those in North Carolina now. "Extreme heat is becoming more common, while extreme cold is becoming less common," the report says.

Most Americans believe that climate change is happening or will happen in their lifetimes, according to a Gallup poll in March. But only 1 in 3 sees it as a "serious threat" to their way of life, the poll reported.

Evidence of climate change appears in every region and impacts are visible in every state.- National Climate Assessment

Administration officials said they hoped the detail in the report would convince skeptics. But Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), one of the most outspoken, dismissed its conclusions. "With this report, the president is attempting to once again distract Americans from his unchecked regulatory agenda that is costing our nation millions of job opportunities and our ability to be energy independent," Inhofe said.

The White House, which has named special advisor John Podesta to spearhead its climate efforts, has embraced the movement to build "resilience" to the effects of higher temperatures.

In February, the administration created so-called climate hubs under the Agriculture Department to connect farmers and ranchers with experts who could help them prepare for wildfires, pests, flooding and drought. The president asked Congress for $1 billion in his 2015 budget to establish a "climate resiliency fund" that would finance research, preparation and infrastructure to adapt to extreme weather driven by global warming.

Such efforts help the White House connect to Americans who might be seen as strange bedfellows for a Democratic president, such as rural farmers and insurance executives. Advocates for legislative action to combat climate change hope that, over time, those connections will build a coalition.

"I think you are going to see the polls change, including greater support for the president's climate action plan, for reductions in emissions," said John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Climate change "still ranks low in terms of salience in the polls, but I think there will be a change in that salience and what people communicate to their representatives in Congress."

For now, the White House has little hope for moving climate legislation through the divided Congress. On Tuesday, the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, brought an energy-efficiency bill backed by many businesses to the floor for debate. But its chances appear uncertain in the GOP-led House, where nearly all Republicans dispute that climate change is man-made.

The White House has instead focused on taking executive action and working directly with businesses and others. Officials say the president will announce a series of alternative-energy pledges this week when he talks about energy in San Jose.

Shani Barlov travels through a flooded street in April in Pensacola, Fla., with her husband, Nathan, center, and her brother Chip Walker. Much of the country will see more frequent flooding in the decades to come, a new report on climate change forecasts. (Dan Anderson / European Pressphoto)

Obama this year directed the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department to develop a new generation of tougher fuel economy standards for heavy-duty, long-haul trucks. The draft rules are due by March 2015 and the final version a year later. The administration is to release new regulations to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants in early June.

Ukraine Anti-Terror Chief: This Is War

from inlandnewstoday

May 4, 2014

KIEV, UKRAINE — Ukraine expanded its military offensive Saturday against pro-Russia separatists in the country's chaotic east, where European observers who had been held hostage by militants now have been freed. And there is mourning in Odessa, in southern Ukraine, where more than 42 people died Friday during clashes between the two sides.

Ukrainian forces moved into Kramatorsk, a town about 17 kilometers south of Slovyansk, where the offensive began Friday.

Vasil Krutov, the head of Ukraine's Anti-Terrorist Center, reported heavy fighting and casualties but could not offer specifics about how many people were killed or wounded. At a news conference in Kyiv, Krutov said the confrontation in Kramatorsk was developing into a protracted military conflict.

Unfortunately, he said, Ukrainian forces are facing "a very serious aggressor."

"What's happening in Donetsk and across the eastern region is not just a planned short-term action," Krutov told reporters. "It's actually war."

A COMBUSTIBLE SITUATION

Local television showed scenes of armored personnel carriers moving through the town, and the country’s Interior Ministry said Ukrainian forces had retaken the security service headquarters.

There also was gunfire reported in Slovyansk, where the military previously encountered fierce resistance from separatist fighters. On Friday, at least nine people were killed there, including two servicemen who died when militants shot down a pair of army helicopters.

Krutov said Ukrainian forces have taken command of all roads leading into Slovyansk.

He said the main concentration of pro-Russian militants - Krutov calls them "terrorists" - is now in Slovyansk. In addition to surrounding the city, Krutov said forces supporting the Kyiv government had taken complete control of radio and TV towers.

Militants who had been holding a group of military observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe freed their 12 captives in Slovyansk. Russian media report the hostages - seven Europeans and five Ukrainians - were released after talks involving an envoy sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But uncertainty remains. A resident of Slovyansk who declined to give his name said separatist forces there were rebuilding their defenses. "At this moment," the man said, "nobody is in control of the checkpoints. Local citizens are building back the barricades." (Source: voanews.com) 

Story Date: May 3, 2014

Putin Demands That Ukraine Pull Its Troops From Southeast

from nytimes

By NEIL MacFARQUHARMAY 1, 2014

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on Thursday that Ukraine must remove its military from the southeastern region of the country to resolve the showdown there with pro-Russian militants who have seized several official buildings, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.

“Putin emphasized that it was imperative today to withdraw all military units from the southeastern regions, stop the violence and immediately launch a broad national dialogue as part of the constitutional reform process involving all regions and political forces,” Interfax said.

Russia has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for escalating the situation and has accused the government in Kiev of deploying 11,000 soldiers in the region. The acting Ukrainian president, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, said Wednesday that the security services had lost control of the region to armed separatists who have seized government buildings in about a dozen towns.

Continue reading the main story

RELATED COVERAGE

• 

  Ukraine Says That Militants Won the EastAPRIL 30, 2014

• 

  Military Analysis: Russia Displays a New Military Prowess in Ukraine’s EastAPRIL 21, 2014

Ukraine has said it sent soldiers to the east in response to maneuvers by 40,000 Russian troops deployed just over the border on what the Kremlin has termed training exercises. Kiev has said any move by Russian troops over the border will be treated as an invasion.

Continue reading the main story

Ukraine Crisis in Maps

Christiane Wirtz, a spokeswoman for the German chancellor, said Ms. Merkel had urged Mr. Putin to intervene in the case of seven military monitors, including four German soldiers, affiliated with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe who are being held hostage by a separatist mayor in the pro-Russian stronghold of Slovyansk.

“The chancellor reminded President Putin of Russia’s responsibility as a member of the O.S.C.E. and called on the president to use his influence,” Ms. Wirtz said. The conversation was initiated by Ms. Merkel, the Kremlin said. Both leaders reportedly agreed that the 57-nation O.S.C.E. should serve as mediator in the impasse over Ukraine.

In a separate report from Interfax, the pro-Russian movement in Slovyansk said that it had freed two of three captured members of the Ukrainian security services in exchange for the release of an unspecified number of its own activists. The report could not be immediately confirmed by independent sources.

In a video posted online earlier this week, the three men were shown beaten and bloodied. They were filmed wearing nothing more than their shirts and underwear, with blood oozing from behind the duct tape covering their eyes.

The separatists controlling City Hall in Slovyansk are holding an estimated 40 prisoners, including the elected mayor.

Continue reading the main story

FEATURED COMMENT

Harry

 Michigan

Split the country and support the western Ukrainians, economically and militarily. It's ultimately cheaper than war.

• 269 COMMENTS
 
• WRITE A COMMENT

The status of the elected mayor, Neli Shtepa, has been in dispute, with the militants saying she is under their protection but free, and the government in Kiev saying she is in custody. On Wednesday, the City Council met behind closed doors to accept Ms. Shtepa’s resignation as mayor, but said she would remain in the City Hall building.

Ms. Shtepa, in a brief interview last month organized by the separatists, said that the gunmen had detained her in the building, that she was sleeping on a mattress on the floor of an office, and that she was not free to leave.

Russia and the separatists have denied that they are working together. Mr. Putin has also said that there are no Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, and denies that Moscow is driving the rebellion there. He made similar claims during the annexation of Crimea, however, and then later acknowledged the existence of a Russian operation.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued another statement on Thursday condemning Ukraine for seeking to hold a national vote on May 25, including presidential elections and a referendum on decentralization, while military operations continue in the east. Some analysts believe that Russia is deliberately destabilizing the eastern region via the separatists in order to undermine the attempt to elect a legitimate government in Ukraine.

Photo

Pro-Russian militia members occupied the office of the public prosecutor on Wednesday in Lugansk, Ukraine. CreditZurab Kurtsikidze/European Pressphoto Agency

Details of the conversation between Mr. Putin and Ms. Merkel emerged shortly after Russian news agencies reported the start of what were described as training maneuvers by a newly formed Russian attack helicopter unit near the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia. The deployment could crank up tensions with NATO, which has stationed extra fighter jets to reassure jittery former Soviet republics that worry that the Kremlin has its eye on countries besides Ukraine.

Thursday was May Day, and in Moscow tens of thousands gathered in Red Square to mark the celebration of the working man. News announcers crowed that it was the first time the celebration has been held in the square since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, after which the Kremlin studiously kept any activity with political overtones out of there. The day is still a main event for labor unions and the Communist Party, which was a strident opposition party for many years before lining up behind Mr. Putin and his United Russia Party.

The return to the square fit neatly with President Putin’s concerted attempts to burnish the Soviet past, and the speakers and many marchers lauded the annexation of Crimea in March. The bigger annual celebration, with a thundering military parade and a speech by Mr. Putin, has been moved to May 9, Victory Day, which this year marks the 69th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Continue reading the main story

RECENT COMMENTS

R. Pearson

 3 minutes ago

One could almost assume Mr. Putin has already declared himself Overlord of South-Eastern Ukraine...It's like he's ordering foreign troops to...

Peter

 4 minutes ago

It's time to have the courage, and the willingness to bear the very significant short-term economic and energy costs, necessary to truly...

Eric Key

 4 minutes ago

And where is the UN?

• SEE ALL COMMENTS
 
• WRITE A COMMENT

The interim authorities in Kiev were also reported on Thursday to have ordered the expulsion of a naval attaché at Moscow’s embassy after accusing him of “activities incompatible with diplomatic status,” a term that normally denotes espionage, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

There was no immediate response from Russia to the Ukrainian move.

Interfax-Ukraine quoted the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying in a statement, “The military-naval attaché of the embassy of the Russian Federation in Ukraine is declared persona non grata in connection with his actions, which are not in accordance with his diplomatic status.”

The diplomat was not identified. The agency said he had been detained on Wednesday while involved in “intelligence activities.”

The statement did not offer any detail about those activities or say whether they were linked to the occupation of government facilities in the Russian-speaking east of Ukraine, where the authorities have acknowledged losing control.

The expulsion of the Russian diplomat evoked the Cold War, as the West has been expressing growing alarm over the advance of pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine and seeks to reassure allies further afield.

In Moscow, the state-run news agency RIA Novosti quoted Col. Oleg Kochetkov, a spokesman for Russia’s Western Military District, as saying that dozens of attack helicopters — identified as the Mi-28N Night Hunter and the Ka-52 Alligator — supported by military transport helicopters “have begun regular training flights in the skies over northwestern Russia.”

The report referred to NATO’s “ramping up its military presence in the region,” and said, “Media in the former Soviet Baltic states, as well as Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, have expressed security concerns about Russia’s decision to station the 15th brigade near NATO’s borders.”

Correction: May 1, 2014 

An earlier version of this article misidentified the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany that takes place this year. It is the 69th anniversary, not the 70th.