During its first phase[13] in February–March 2014, the Ukrainian territory of Crimea was invaded and subsequently annexed by Russia following an internationally unrecognized referendum, with the United Nations General Assemblyvoting in favor of Ukraine's territorial integrity.[14] Concurrently, protests by anti-Maidan and pro-Russian groups took place across other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Local separatists, some directed and financed by the Russian security services,[15] took advantage of the situation and occupied government buildings in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkivoblasts in early March 2014. The Ukrainian government was able to quickly quell this unrest, and removed the separatists by 10 March.[16]
In the second phase from April 2014, armed Russian-backed groups seized government buildings across Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, together known as the Donbas, and launched a separatist insurgency in the region. To suppress this insurgency, the Ukrainian government began what it called an "Anti-Terrorist Operation" (ATO), sending in the armed forces to quell the unrest.[17] Unrest in Kharkiv and Odesa oblasts did not escalate into full-scale armed conflict, although dozens of mostly pro-Russian protestors were killed. Order was restored in these regions with the cooperation of the local civil authorities,[18] though pro-Russian disturbances, such as bombings, continued throughout the year.[19]
41.0%
Crimea
33.2%
Donetsk Oblast
24.1%
Luhansk Oblast
24.0%
Odesa Oblast
16.7%
Zaporizhzhia Oblast
15.1%
Kharkiv Oblast
13.8%
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
– This was proclaimed by protestors on 7 April, with calls for Russia to send "peacekeepers" into Ukraine.[99] Gunmen from Russia seized the interior ministry headquarters and two other police stations in Donetsk Oblast, occupying the transportation hub of Sloviansk, and starting a military conflict on 12 April.[117][321] Russian nationalists and Eurasianists gained control of the organization, and hastily organized an 11 May referendum on independence.[322][321]
Donetsk People's Republic
– This is the successor to the failed Luhansk Parliamentary Republic, proclaimed on 27 April.[195] Activists occupied the SBU building in Luhansk from 8 April, and gained control of the city council, prosecutor's office, and police station by 27 April.[199] The regional administration announced its support for a referendum, and granted the governorship to separatist leader Valeriy Bolotov.[323] Like Donetsk, a referendum on the status of the region took place on 11 May.[324]
– In late March, Armenian president Serj Sargsyan and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation where both men stated that the Crimean referendum constituted a case of people exercising their right to self-determination via the free expression of will. At the same time, the presidents highlighted the importance of commitment to the norms and principles of international law, especially the UN Charter.[335]
Armenia
– On 2 March, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that Russia's actions in Ukraine were "not the kind ... of a friend and neighbour and I think Russia should back off".[336] The Prime Minister told the Australian House of Representatives on 3 March that "Russia should back off, it should withdraw its forces from Ukraine and people of Ukraine ought to be able to determine their future themselves" with the Australian Government cancelling a planned visit to Russia by the Trade Minister Andrew Robb.[337]
Australia
– On 28 Feb, Foreign Minister Baird "emphasized the need to honour the 1994 Budapest Declaration's commitment to Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and national unity."[338] On a 1 March phone call, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper "affirmed the importance of unity within the international community in support of international law, and the future of Ukraine and its democracy."[339] Harper condemned Russia's military intervention in Ukraine; he announced that Canada had both recalled its ambassador to Russia and withdrawn from the 40th G8 summit, which was to be chaired by Russia.[340] On March 3, the House of Commons passed a unanimous motion condemning Russia's intervention in Crimea.[341] Harper called Russia's actions an "invasion and occupation" and Baird compared them to Nazi Germany's occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938.[342] Canada suspended all military cooperation with Russia, and[343][344] asked Russian military servicemen (at least nine) to leave its territory in 24 hours.[345]
Canada
– China said "We respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine". A spokesman restated China's belief of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states and urged dialogue.[346][347]
China
– On 1 March, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyCatherine Ashton stated that the EU "deplores" what it called Russia's decision to use military action in Ukraine, describing it as an "unwarranted escalation of tensions." She called on "all sides to decrease the tensions immediately through dialogue, in full respect of Ukrainian and international law." She added that: "The unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be respected at all times and by all sides. Any violation of these principles is unacceptable. More than ever, restraint and sense of responsibility are needed."[348]
European Union
– In response to the detention of the German-led international military verification mission, Foreign MinisterFrank-Walter Steinmeier stated "The public parading of the OSCE observers and Ukrainian security forces as prisoners is revolting and blatantly hurts the dignity of the victims".[349][350] Steinmeier also said: "Only when the guns fall silent, only on the basis of a robust ceasefire, are negotiations on resolving the crisis imaginable."[351]
Germany
– In the context of the unrest, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine "must be granted dual citizenship, must enjoy all of the community rights and must be granted the opportunity for autonomy".[352]
Hungary
– National Security AdvisorShivshankar Menon of India stated that Russia has legitimate interests in Crimea and called for "sustained diplomatic efforts" and "constructive dialogue" to resolve the crisis.[353] However, the National Security Advisor is not a part of the Cabinet of India and, as such, Menon's statement was not an official statement issued by the government of India.[354] India subsequently made it clear that it will not support any "unilateral measures" against Russian government. "India has never supported unilateral sanctions against any country. Therefore, we will also not support any unilateral measures by a country or a group of countries against Russia."[355]
Against NATO involvement in Ukraine. Donetsk, 9 March 2014
– OSCE chairman-in-Office Didier Burkhalter condemned the detention of military inspectors from OSCE participating states in Sloviansk, and requested that they be released.[360] Burkhalter emphasized that the detention of the unarmed military inspectors was "unacceptable and that the safety of all international observers in the country must be guaranteed and ensured".[360] This incident, he said, "goes against the spirit of the recent Geneva Statement agreed upon by Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the United States and the European Union aiming at de-escalating the situation and leading the way out of the challenging situation".[360] Burkhalter asked for involved parties "to resolve the crisis in Ukraine through inclusive dialogue".[360] In response to escalation across Ukraine on 2 May, OSCE Chief Monitor Ertugrul Apakan called for "all sides to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid bloodshed and solve their differences peacefully".[361] Apakan said "There is a need for de-escalation...the Special Monitoring Mission is here to promote this objective. We are here for the people of Ukraine".[361]
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
– Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that the events in Ukraine "have the features of a situation of war".[362]
Poland
– A harsh exchange of words between officials in Moscow and Bucharest erupted in the context of Ukrainian crisis. Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government and one of the senior Russian officials sanctioned by the European Union and United States, stated on a social networking website that "upon the U.S. request, Romania has closed its airspace for my plane. Ukraine doesn't allow me to pass through again. Next time I'll fly on board TU-160".[363] Rogozin's statements have irritated the authorities in Bucharest that catalogued them as a threat.[364][365]
Protester against the Russian government holding an image portraying Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev as Nazis with a swastika made of colours of the Ribbon of Saint George and a Russian coat of arms in the centre, Odesa
Romania
– The Russian Foreign Ministry stated in an 8 April 2014 statement on its official website "We are calling for the immediate cessation of any military preparations, which could lead to civil war".[366] The ministry alleged that what it called "American experts from the private military organization Greystone" disguised as soldiers, as well as militants from the Ukrainian far-right group Right Sector, had joined Ukrainian forces preparing for the crackdown in eastern Ukraine.[366] In a 7 April opinion piece in The Guardian, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov wrote it was the EU and US, and not Russia, that was guilty of destabilizing Ukraine ("the EU and US have been trying to compel Ukraine to make a painful choice between east and west, further aggravating internal differences") and that "Russia is doing all it can to promote early stabilisation in Ukraine".[367][368][369] Russian president Vladimir Putin did not send his regards to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko for the Independence Day of Ukraine celebration on 24 August, despite the fact that Poroshenko had sent his regards to Putin for Russia Day on 12 June. Putin also said: "What are the so-called European values? Maintaining the coup, the armed seizure of power and the suppression of dissent with the help of the armed forces?"[370]
Russian Federation
– Acting President Olexander Turchynov said on 30 April: "I would like to say frankly that at the moment the security structures are unable to swiftly take the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions back under control", and that security forces "tasked with the protection of citizens" were "helpless".[371] On 7 April an "anti-terrorist" operation against militants was started in Luhansk and Donetsk self-proclaimed republics.[372]
Ukraine
– In response to the Russian government's declared outrage over a Ukrainian counter-offensive on Sloviansk, British Ambassador to the United Nations Sir Mark Lyall Grant said "The scale of Russian hypocrisy is breathtaking...Russia's synthetic indignation over Ukraine's proportionate and measured actions convinces no one".[373]
United Kingdom
– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence that occurred in Eastern Ukraine over the weekend of 14–16 March and urged all parties "to refrain from violence and to commit themselves to de-escalation and inclusive national dialogue in the pursuit of a political and diplomatic solution."[374]
United Nations
– US Secretary of State John Kerry stated (on 7 April 2014) that he thought the conflict in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol was a carefully orchestrated campaign with Russian support.[375][376] Assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that the United States had no doubt that Russians were behind the takeovers of government buildings in eastern Ukraine.[377]Geoffrey R. Pyatt, United States Ambassador to Ukraine, characterized the militants as terrorists.[378] On 30 April, John Kerry stated that phone tap evidence proved that the Kremlin was directing pro-Russian protests in the region.[379] On Monday, 7 July, the governments of the United States and France urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to put pressure on pro-Russian insurgents in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and to hold dialogue to reach a ceasefire with the Ukrainian government
United States
(Russian security officer, leader of the armed group of Russian soldiers seizing Slavyansk)[401]
Igor Girkin
(self-proclaimed 'People's Governor' of Donetsk)[402]
Pavel Gubarev
(self-proclaimed deputy 'People's Governor' of Donesk)[403]
Robert Donya
(leader of the self-styled 'Donbas People's Militia')[404]
Mikhail Chumachenko
(self-proclaimed 'People's Mayor' of Mariupol)[405]
(leader of the banned 'South-East' organization; Apukhtin is in detention and his trail started late May 2015 in Kharkiv)[408]
Yuri Apukhtin
On 3 April 2014, one man was arrested and eight more were put under house arrest on suspicion of involvement in the riots in Donetsk on 13 March, which led to the murder of Dmitry Cherniavsky.
[448]
On 5 April, the SBU arrested a group of 15 people in Luhansk, along with 300 machine guns, one anti-tank grenade launcher, five pistols, petrol bombs and a large amount of smooth-bore guns and other weapons. "The group planned to seize power in Luhansk on April 10 by intimidating of civilians using weapons and explosives," the SBU press office told Interfax-Ukraine.
[449]
In Kharkiv, activist Ignat Kramskoy (nicknamed "Topaz") was placed under house arrest on 29 March for his alleged involvement in the 1 March raid on the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building.[450] On 7 April, he escaped house arrest after cutting off his monitoring bracelet,[451] and later gave interviews to the Russian channel state LifeNews about 'guerrilla struggle' and using firearms to capture buildings.[452] Topaz was re-arrested as he set up another interview with Russia's Life News channel.[453] He received an eight-years prison sentence in January 2018, but was released in September with credit for time served.[454][455]
anti-Maidan
On 12 April a saboteur known as "K" was arrested by the SBU in Kharkiv. He had been tasked with organizing riots and capturing administrative buildings. Later, 70 were arrested between the border of Poltava and Kharkiv. The men were travelling on a bus and found in possession of explosives, petrol bombs, bats, shields, helmets, knives, and other weapons.[457]
[456]
On 25 April, the SBU announced it had arrested two Ukrainian military members recruited by Russian intelligence.
[458]
On 29 April the SBU arrested Spartak Holovachov and Yuri Apukhtin, leader of the Great Rus' organization in Kharkiv. Authorities claimed they were organized from abroad to plan riots in the city on 9 May, and upon searching their headquarters found guns, grenades, ammunition, cash, and separatist leaflets.[460]
[459]
As of 19 April, the SBU had arrested 117 Russian citizens.
[461]
V. Makarov, an alleged spy from the was arrested in Chernihiv on 20 March 2014.[462]
GRU
Anton Rayevsky was arrested in Odesa and then deported for inciting ethnic hatred and violence.
[463]
Roman Bannykh, allegedly an agent of the Russian , was detained on 5 April 2014.[464]
GRU
Negrienko was arrested earlier in March 2014 for attempting to recruit Ukrainian police officers.
[464]
Oleg Bakhtiyarov, for allegedly planning to storm Ukraine's parliament and Cabinet of Ministers buildings in Kyiv by force. Bakhtiyarov, working under the guise of a civil society activist in Kyiv, had allegedly recruited some 200 people, paying them each $500, to assist in storming the buildings and had stockpiled petrol bombs and various tools to carry out the provocation. Bakhtiyarov allegedly also arranged, with some Russian TV channels, to film the incident, which would then have been blamed on Ukrainian radicals.[465] Russian writer and the founder of the banned National Bolshevik Party, Eduard Limonov described Bakhtiyarov as: "a good guy, a psychiatrist, a commando, a vet of the War of Transnistria and a participant of in the city hall seizure".[465]
Two Russian citizens were arrested in on 2 April 2014, suspected of plotting to take several Ukrainians hostage, including a presidential candidate. Police allegedly found a 200-gram TNT block, detonator, and 16 9×18mm Makarov rounds in one of the suspect's cars. Also allegedly found was a notebook with details of cars used by the presidential candidate and a timetable of his movements, a tablet with images of the targeted politician, as well as members of Lviv Regional Council, one former MP, photos of houses belonging to them, and plans for gaining access to them.[467]
Pro-separatist supporter detained by Ukrainian soldiers, 30 July 2014
Lviv oblast
Mariya Koleda was arrested on 9 April 2014, and allegedly performed Russian intelligence agency tasks to destabilize the situation in the southern regions of Ukraine. On 7 April, she allegedly took part in fights at the Mykolaiv Oblast Regional State Administration building using a firearm, and confessed to shooting and wounding three people. "She also reported on the preparation of two subversive groups (7 persons from Kherson and 6 people from Nova Kakhovka) to participate in riots in Donetsk," reports the SSU.[469]
[468]
On 13 April, Ukraine arrested an alleged Russian GRU operative.
[470]
On 22 April, Ukraine's director of Ukraine's national security service announced that they had arrested three alleged Russian GRU agents.
[471]
On 1 May, border guards arrested a Russian citizen for planning separatist provocations in Luhansk. The man was allegedly a member of the neo-Nazi skinhead group 'Slavs' and had several swastika tattoos as well as a Nazi-branded knife.
[472]
On 23 October, Ukraine arrested a man that they claimed was a high-level Russian intelligence agent who had been co-ordinating separatist activity and had organized the protest of several hundred troops outside the Ukrainian presidential administration building in Kyiv on 13 October.[473]
National Guard
Pro-Russian demonstration in Donetsk, 9 March 2014.
Pro-Russian protesters in Donetsk, 1 March 2014.
Pro-Russian protesters marching Odesa streets on 30 March 2014.
Protesters burn literature from far right groups in Kharkiv, 1 March 2014.
Pro-Russian protesters in Donetsk, 6 April 2014.
Demonstration in support of Ukrainian unity in Donetsk, 17 April 2014
Protest rally in Odesa against Russian President 's occupation actions in Ukraine", 2 March 2014.
Vladimir "Putin
Victory Day in Donetsk, people with St. George's Ribbon, used by pro-Russian civilians as a patriotic symbol, 9 May 2014.
Church of Holy Epiphany in Karlivka, Donestk Oblast, on 23 May 2014, shells on road from fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Regions inhabited by significant Russian populations in Ukraine in 2001.
Percentage of people with Russian as their native language according to 2001 census (in regions).
An anti-government poster at a rally on Freedom Square, in Kharkiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his first visit to Crimea after it was annexed, 9 May 2014
Pro-Russian rally in Donetsk, 20 December 2014
Regionalism in Ukraine
Log Revolution
Cold War II
Russians in Ukraine
Russian language in Ukraine
1954 transfer of Crimea
2014 Euromaidan regional state administration occupations
a Ukrainian boycott of Russian goods started as a reaction to the export trade blockade by Russia in 2013.
Do not buy Russian goods!
List of protests in the 21st century
2014 Russian sabotage activities in Ukraine
Bowen, Andrew (2017). "Coercive Diplomacy and the Donbas: Explaining Russian Strategy in Eastern Ukraine". Journal of Strategic Studies. 42 (3–4): 312–343. :10.1080/01402390.2017.1413550. S2CID158522112.
– This was proclaimed by protestors on 7 April, with calls for Russia to send "peacekeepers" into Ukraine.[99] Gunmen from Russia seized the interior ministry headquarters and two other police stations in Donetsk Oblast, occupying the transportation hub of Sloviansk, and starting a military conflict on 12 April.[117][321] Russian nationalists and Eurasianists gained control of the organization, and hastily organized an 11 May referendum on independence.[322][321]
– This is the successor to the failed Luhansk Parliamentary Republic, proclaimed on 27 April.[195] Activists occupied the SBU building in Luhansk from 8 April, and gained control of the city council, prosecutor's office, and police station by 27 April.[199] The regional administration announced its support for a referendum, and granted the governorship to separatist leader Valeriy Bolotov.[323] Like Donetsk, a referendum on the status of the region took place on 11 May.[324]
– In late March, Armenian president Serj Sargsyan and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation where both men stated that the Crimean referendum constituted a case of people exercising their right to self-determination via the free expression of will. At the same time, the presidents highlighted the importance of commitment to the norms and principles of international law, especially the UN Charter.[335]
– On 2 March, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that Russia's actions in Ukraine were "not the kind ... of a friend and neighbour and I think Russia should back off".[336] The Prime Minister told the Australian House of Representatives on 3 March that "Russia should back off, it should withdraw its forces from Ukraine and people of Ukraine ought to be able to determine their future themselves" with the Australian Government cancelling a planned visit to Russia by the Trade Minister Andrew Robb.[337]
– On 28 Feb, Foreign Minister Baird "emphasized the need to honour the 1994 Budapest Declaration's commitment to Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and national unity."[338] On a 1 March phone call, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper "affirmed the importance of unity within the international community in support of international law, and the future of Ukraine and its democracy."[339] Harper condemned Russia's military intervention in Ukraine; he announced that Canada had both recalled its ambassador to Russia and withdrawn from the 40th G8 summit, which was to be chaired by Russia.[340] On March 3, the House of Commons passed a unanimous motion condemning Russia's intervention in Crimea.[341] Harper called Russia's actions an "invasion and occupation" and Baird compared them to Nazi Germany's occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938.[342] Canada suspended all military cooperation with Russia, and[343][344] asked Russian military servicemen (at least nine) to leave its territory in 24 hours.[345]
– On 1 March, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton stated that the EU "deplores" what it called Russia's decision to use military action in Ukraine, describing it as an "unwarranted escalation of tensions." She called on "all sides to decrease the tensions immediately through dialogue, in full respect of Ukrainian and international law." She added that: "The unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be respected at all times and by all sides. Any violation of these principles is unacceptable. More than ever, restraint and sense of responsibility are needed."[348]
– In response to the detention of the German-led international military verification mission, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated "The public parading of the OSCE observers and Ukrainian security forces as prisoners is revolting and blatantly hurts the dignity of the victims".[349][350] Steinmeier also said: "Only when the guns fall silent, only on the basis of a robust ceasefire, are negotiations on resolving the crisis imaginable."[351]
– In the context of the unrest, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine "must be granted dual citizenship, must enjoy all of the community rights and must be granted the opportunity for autonomy".[352]
– National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon of India stated that Russia has legitimate interests in Crimea and called for "sustained diplomatic efforts" and "constructive dialogue" to resolve the crisis.[353] However, the National Security Advisor is not a part of the Cabinet of India and, as such, Menon's statement was not an official statement issued by the government of India.[354] India subsequently made it clear that it will not support any "unilateral measures" against Russian government. "India has never supported unilateral sanctions against any country. Therefore, we will also not support any unilateral measures by a country or a group of countries against Russia."[355]
– Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi accused Putin of having committed "an unacceptable violation".[356][357] On 19 March, during a speech in the Chamber of Deputies, Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start cooperating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War.[358]
– On 2 March, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen convened the North Atlantic Council due to what it called Russia's military action and President Vladimir Putin's alleged threats against Ukraine.[359]
– Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that the events in Ukraine "have the features of a situation of war".[362]
– A harsh exchange of words between officials in Moscow and Bucharest erupted in the context of Ukrainian crisis. Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government and one of the senior Russian officials sanctioned by the European Union and United States, stated on a social networking website that "upon the U.S. request, Romania has closed its airspace for my plane. Ukraine doesn't allow me to pass through again. Next time I'll fly on board TU-160".[363] Rogozin's statements have irritated the authorities in Bucharest that catalogued them as a threat.[364][365]
– The Russian Foreign Ministry stated in an 8 April 2014 statement on its official website "We are calling for the immediate cessation of any military preparations, which could lead to civil war".[366] The ministry alleged that what it called "American experts from the private military organization Greystone" disguised as soldiers, as well as militants from the Ukrainian far-right group Right Sector, had joined Ukrainian forces preparing for the crackdown in eastern Ukraine.[366] In a 7 April opinion piece in The Guardian, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov wrote it was the EU and US, and not Russia, that was guilty of destabilizing Ukraine ("the EU and US have been trying to compel Ukraine to make a painful choice between east and west, further aggravating internal differences") and that "Russia is doing all it can to promote early stabilisation in Ukraine".[367][368][369] Russian president Vladimir Putin did not send his regards to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko for the Independence Day of Ukraine celebration on 24 August, despite the fact that Poroshenko had sent his regards to Putin for Russia Day on 12 June. Putin also said: "What are the so-called European values? Maintaining the coup, the armed seizure of power and the suppression of dissent with the help of the armed forces?"[370]
– Acting President Olexander Turchynov said on 30 April: "I would like to say frankly that at the moment the security structures are unable to swiftly take the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions back under control", and that security forces "tasked with the protection of citizens" were "helpless".[371] On 7 April an "anti-terrorist" operation against militants was started in Luhansk and Donetsk self-proclaimed republics.[372]
– In response to the Russian government's declared outrage over a Ukrainian counter-offensive on Sloviansk, British Ambassador to the United Nations Sir Mark Lyall Grant said "The scale of Russian hypocrisy is breathtaking...Russia's synthetic indignation over Ukraine's proportionate and measured actions convinces no one".[373]
– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence that occurred in Eastern Ukraine over the weekend of 14–16 March and urged all parties "to refrain from violence and to commit themselves to de-escalation and inclusive national dialogue in the pursuit of a political and diplomatic solution."[374]
– US Secretary of State John Kerry stated (on 7 April 2014) that he thought the conflict in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol was a carefully orchestrated campaign with Russian support.[375][376] Assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that the United States had no doubt that Russians were behind the takeovers of government buildings in eastern Ukraine.[377] Geoffrey R. Pyatt, United States Ambassador to Ukraine, characterized the militants as terrorists.[378] On 30 April, John Kerry stated that phone tap evidence proved that the Kremlin was directing pro-Russian protests in the region.[379] On Monday, 7 July, the governments of the United States and France urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to put pressure on pro-Russian insurgents in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and to hold dialogue to reach a ceasefire with the Ukrainian government
![Protesters burn literature from far right groups in Kharkiv, 1 March 2014.[original research?]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/2014._%D0%A5%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2_055.jpg/90px-2014._%D0%A5%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2_055.jpg)
