Ukraine’s President. Olexander Turchynov said the airbase at Kramatorsk had been “liberated” from “terrorists”. Gunfire had been heard hours before at an airbase which had been previously seized by militia. He had previously said that the Ukrainian Government would be introduce a gradually stage by stage a “anti-terrorist operation” against pro-Russian separatists.

Pro-Russian rebels have seized buildings in about 10 towns and cities across Ukraine’s eastern provinces, which form the heartland of Ukraine’s industry.

The security operations undertaken by the Kiev government have been received by Russia with alarm. As the events unfolding in the Ukraine, officials in Moscow are already fearing the worse – or rather looking at the worse case scenario as one official has said “Events are beginning to develop under the worst case scenario,”.

At present there is no accuracy to the number of casualties, and reports on social media appear conflicting, but obviously it is the perception of what is happening that matters.

Russia’s has got favour with Russian-speakers in the east, and many separatists have taken over buildings in several Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian Government effectively
challenged for responding – and the fear is if that response will be seized upon by Moscow as a pretext for military action.

Thousands of Russian troops are reported to be deployed along the border, kindling fears that any crackdown on the rebels could trigger an invasion.

Russia has already annexed the Ukrainian Crimea last month, after it broke away and held a controversial referendum on self-determination