Putin Readies Retaliation Against Western Sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has ordered his government to prepare retaliatory measures against U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Russia last week, as the Kremlin stepped up pressure on Ukraine. Mr. Putin has shown no outward sign of buckling under the weight of sanctions—the harshest yet imposed by Brussels and Washington—aimed at getting him to stop supporting pro-Russia rebels across the border in Ukraine.

 The Russian Foreign MInistry described eastern Ukraine as on the verge of a "humanitarian catastrophe" and said Tuesday it would push for an international mission to help masses of civilians fleeing the fighting. At Russia's request, the United Nations Security Council met for a briefing on the situation Tuesday night. The Ukrainian government dismissed the initiative as cynical and said it had detected a major increase in Russia's military forces across the border. A U.S. official confirmed there has been a buildup; a North Atlantic Treaty Organization official put the number at about 20,000 Russian troops. Kiev and Western capitals have said they fear Russia could send troops in to support separatists under the guise of a mission to protect civilians.

Moscow denies any such plan. But tension has been rising in recent weeks as Kiev's forces have gained ground against rebels, nearly cutting off the separatist strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk from each other and their supply lines to Russia. U.S. officials have accused Moscow of responding with a major increase in supplies of weapons and irregular fighters, as well as artillery and rocket attacks across the border. Moscow denies that. Moscow has been calling on Kiev to accept a cease-fire in a bid to save the separatists from a military defeat that would be a political setback for Mr. Putin as well. In the last few days, Kiev's advance has appeared to slow amid heavier rebel resistance.

 On Tuesday, a military spokesman said the military had retreated from Yasinuvata, a small city on the northern outskirts of Donetsk, only a day after reporting it had been taken. The spokesman said the pullback was driven by a desire to avoid civilian casualties. A day earlier, more than 400 Ukrainian troops who had been surrounded by rebel forces for weeks and were running out of ammunition and provisions sought temporary refuge in Russia after their comrades were unable to come to their aid. They were returned to Ukraine on Tuesday. Officials in Donetsk, meanwhile, reported at least two civilians were killed in shelling on the western edge of the city Tuesday. The situation in Luhansk appeared worse, with several civilian casualties reported and water, electric and telephone service disrupted. City officials said about half the population of 460,000 had fled.
FULL STORY: http://online.wsj.com/articles/ukrainian-soldiers-returned-from-russia-officials-say-1407247834