March 5:
The human costs of Russia's Ukrainian policy are mounting - and becoming more public. The BBC citesNATO's Deputy Secretary General, Alexander Vershbow, as telling a recent conference in Latvia that "Russian leaders are less and less able to conceal the fact that Russian soldiers are fighting - and dying - in large numbers in eastern Ukraine." U.S. officials separately estimate that "thousands and thousands" of Russian troops are now engaged in hostilities in the country. And, as the conflict drags on, they note that this military presence is becoming a growing political liability for the Kremlin. In his remarks, Vershbow highlighted "mounting evidence that the Russian incursion into Ukraine is becoming much less popular among the Russian public."
March 6:
As Russia's relations with the West continue to deteriorate, some Russian officials are taking aim at an unlikely target: Western fast food. According to Sputnik, a leading Russian lawmaker has suggested that McDonald's and Coca Cola might soon face retaliation from the Russian government on account of U.S. sanctions against Moscow. Alexei Sushkov, head of the Duma's foreign affairs committee, declared via social media platform Twitter that "perhaps McDonald's and Coca-Cola would like to support Obama's sanctions, and rid us of their products? They would be true to their principles, and we would be healthier."
In a sop to his critics, Vladimir Putin has announced that he and some of his top advisors will be taking pay cuts. According to Radio Free Europe, the Kremlin - under fire at home as a result of the economic costs of its Ukraine policy - declared that the Russian president, as well as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika, and Investigative Committee chief Aleksandr Bastrykin will take a 10 percent pay cut this year, effective immediately. The Kremlin order also states that, beginning May 1st, the reduced pay scale will also kick in for "those employed by the Kremlin administration, the cabinet, and the Accounts Chamber."
The European Union is contemplating new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, a top British diplomat has said.Sputnik cites British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond as remarking that Europe is ready to "prepare possible new sanctions, which could be imposed quickly if there is further Russian aggression or if the Minsk agreement is not complied with." The last point is a contentious one, because the Ukrainian government has charged that Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine are already in breach of the ceasefire signed by Moscow and Kyiv in Minsk last month.
Hammond's remarks, made during a state visit to Poland, also help clarify the limits of Britain's involvement in the Ukraine crisis. The British government recently announced that it would be sending some 75 military trainers to assist the Ukrainian armed forces. But Hammond made clear that that would be the extent of London's activity - at least for now. While it is "not ruling anything out for the future," the British foreign minister said, his government currently has no plans to reinforce the Ukrainian military with weapons.
March 7:
The Associated Press reports that Russian authorities have detained two suspects in the February 27th murder of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov told Russian state television that the two suspects hail from Russia's North Caucasus region, but failed to divulge other details.
The news, coming less than a week after Nemtsov's killing, was greeted with skepticism by opposition activists. "It's hard to judge whether these are the real performers of if the investigation went down a false track," opposition politician Ilya Yashin cautioned, emphasizing that the real issue wasn't the identity of the triggermen, but those of the political powers that stood behind them. "It's extremely important that the matter not be limited to detention of the shooters, whether these are the real killers or not. The key task is the identification and detention of who ordered" the assassination, he said.