Ukrainian politicians

Russia's consumer rights agency announced Monday it is to impose a ban on import of Ukrainian milk products from six regions of the country.

Officials by Rospotrebnadzor said that the goods do not meet regulations of fatty acid composition, as well as those of total protein and fat percentage, as the watchdog reported in a press release.

It was Ukrainian police snipers that shot dead protesters at Kiev's Maidan square, according to a government inquiry.

Ukraine's agency UNIAN, quoting cabinet officials, suggests former Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko coordinated the crackdown of February's protesters.

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has been expelled from the Party of Regions, together with other former figures of the country's leadership.

Region calls for diplomatic solution of Ukrainian crisis

Diplomacy is the only way out of the deadlock in Crimea, officials say.

The wives of Ukrainian soldiers hold a banner reading "No War" during a rally outside the Sevastopol tactical military brigade base in Sevastopol. [AFP]

Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell said on Wednesday it has ended talks with Ukraine and US group ExxonMobil on extracting natural gas in the Black Sea off the coast of crisis-hit Crimea.

The formation of the new Ukrainian government has been postponed for Thursday.

"I am instructing the formation of a national unity government on Thursday", Parliament Speaker and Interim President Oleksandr Turchynov said, quoted by Interfax.

Initial reports suggested that the new government could be formed on Tuesday.

Ukraine will request financial assistance from the West, which could amount to USD 35 B.

The country's interim Finance Minister Yuriy Kolobov urged the United States and the European Union to decide on a financial rescue plan within the next 2 weeks, RIA Novosti reports.

The Ukrainian Parliament has named Oleksandr Turchynov as the interim President on Sunday, according to the BBC.

On Saturday, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) named Turchynov as the acting Prime Minister and speaker of Parliament, after voting out President Viktor Yanukovych.

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych disproved news of his resignation in televised interview Saturday.

Yanukovych said that parliament speaker Volodymyr Rybak was attacked and that lawmakers from his Party of Regions defected due to threats made against them, KyivPost reports.

During an emergency session of parliament on Saturday, 314 out of 450 lawmakers voted to elect opposition leader Oleksandr Turchynov as Ukraine's acting prime minister.

In another sign of how the nation is changing power, parliament has appointed Arsen Avakov as Ukraine's acting interior minister.