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Ukraine crisis: Nato warns Russia against further intervention Ukraine crisis: Nato warns Russia against further intervention
(about 3 hours later)
Nato has warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a "historic mistake" with grave consequences.Nato has warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a "historic mistake" with grave consequences.
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the Ukrainian border.Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the Ukrainian border.
On Tuesday, Ukraine regained control of one of the government buildings occupied by pro-Russian activists in the east of the country. Ukraine has regained control of one of the government buildings occupied by pro-Russian activists in the east of the country, in the city of Kharkiv.
However, armed militants are refusing to withdraw in another city, Luhansk.
Moscow has said that using force to end the protests could lead to civil war.Moscow has said that using force to end the protests could lead to civil war.
However, in Luhansk, officials said "radicals" occupying the state security building had placed explosives and were holding about 60 people against their will. Activists in the building denied having explosives or hostages but said they had seized an armoury full of automatic rifles.
Kiev says the unrest in the east is being fomented by Russia following its annexation of the Crimean peninsula.Kiev says the unrest in the east is being fomented by Russia following its annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
Russia took control in Crimea - where Russian-speakers are in a majority - after a disputed referendum. Russia took control in Crimea - where Russian-speakers are in a majority - after a disputed referendum, which sparked Western sanctions.
In another developments: In other developments
'Historic mistake'
"I urge Russia to step back and not escalate the situation in east Ukraine," Mr Rasmussen said in Paris where he was attending a seminar on Nato reforms."I urge Russia to step back and not escalate the situation in east Ukraine," Mr Rasmussen said in Paris where he was attending a seminar on Nato reforms.
"If Russia were to intervene further in Ukraine, it would be an historic mistake. It would have grave consequences for our relationship with Russia and it would further isolate Russia internationally." He called on Russia to "pull back the tens of thousands of troops" it had massed on Ukraine's borders and "engage in a genuine dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities".
The US and the EU have already imposed targeted sanctions on Russian and Ukrainian individuals over the annexation of Crimea. Meanwhile, the European Commission is setting up a special "Support Group for Ukraine" to co-ordinate assistance, an EU diplomatic source told BBC News.
Mr Rasmussen added: "We call on Russia to pull back the tens of thousands of troops it has massed on Ukraine's borders, engage in a genuine dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities and respect its international commitments." The group will consist of several dozen people and its work could be extended to cover fellow ex-Soviet states Georgia and Moldova, the source added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, addressing a Senate panel on Tuesday, said Russian special forces and agents had been "the catalyst behind the chaos of the last 24 hours". US Secretary of State John Kerry, addressing a US Senate panel, said Russian special forces and agents had been "the catalyst behind the chaos of the last 24 hours".
He said recent events "could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea". Recent events, he said, "could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea".
As tensions rose on Tuesday, Russian Senator Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defence and security committee, said President Putin could "theoretically" send troops anywhere in Ukraine under the powers given to him by parliament that allowed him to move forces into Crimea. A senior Russian parliamentarian, Senator Viktor Ozerov, stressed that President Putin could theoretically send troops anywhere in Ukraine under the powers given to him by parliament that allowed him to move forces into Crimea.
"The Federation Council gave its agreement to the president... to use the armed forces in order to preserve people's lives. We have not cancelled this resolution," he told Ukraine's Unian news agency. Eastern tension
Hundreds of pro-Russia demonstrators seized government buildings in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk on Sunday night, barricading themselves inside and raising Russian flags. Hundreds of pro-Russia demonstrators seized government buildings in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk on Sunday night, barricading themselves inside and raising Russian flags, with calls for Moscow to send in "peacekeepers".
Some called on Moscow to send "peacekeepers" to their aid. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian authorities said they had retaken control of the building in Kharkiv, detaining some 70 people in a bloodless operation.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities said they had retaken control of the building in Kharkiv and hoped that offices in Luhansk and Donetsk would be freed shortly as well. But in Luhansk, officials accused "radicals" occupying the state security building of placing explosives and holding about 60 people against their will.
Some 70 people were detained in Kharkiv without shots being fired, Ukraine's interior ministry said. Activists in the building denied having explosives or hostages but said they had seized an armoury full of automatic rifles.
In Donetsk on Monday, protesters inside the regional authority building declared a separatist republic and called for a referendum on secession from Ukraine. A video was released purporting to carry a statement by the gunmen, delivered by a masked man surrounded by three other masked men armed with Kalashnikovs.
On Tuesday, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the situation in eastern Ukraine was "under control but remains dangerous". He insisted they were all Ukrainian citizens, from Luhansk or the surrounding region, including veterans of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
The Russian foreign ministry increased pressure on Kiev on Tuesday by accusing it of making "military preparations that are fraught with the risk of unleashing a civil war". Their sole demand, he said, was to carry out a referendum on the region's status within Ukraine. In the event of the building being stormed, he said: "Welcome to Hell."
In the city of Donetsk, protesters remained inside the regional authority building, calling for a referendum on secession from Ukraine.
Russia is refusing to recognise the new authorities in Kiev who took power after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February.Russia is refusing to recognise the new authorities in Kiev who took power after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February.
Mr Yanukovych fled Kiev for Russia after months of street protests triggered by his refusal to sign an association agreement with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.Mr Yanukovych fled Kiev for Russia after months of street protests triggered by his refusal to sign an association agreement with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.
More than 100 people died in the ensuing unrest.More than 100 people died in the ensuing unrest.
On Tuesday, a brawl erupted inside the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev after a Communist leader accused nationalists of playing into the hands of Russia by adopting extreme tactics early in the crisis.