KIEV, March 16 – Individuals' deposits pegged to the hryvnia fell by 3.8% or UAH 7.24 billion in February, to UAH 184.2 billion, and those pegged to foreign currency fell by 5.1% or $670 million, to $12.53 billion, the National Bank of Ukraine reported.

KIEV, March 16 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the European Union is ready to step up sanctions against Russia if pro-Russian militants violate the truce in eastern Ukraine.

WASHINGTON, March 17 – Washington doesn't recognize Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation, reads a statement of the U.S. Department of State posted on Monday in regard to the anniversary of referendum in Crimea.

WASHINGTON, March 17 – Russia has not only acknowledged to the world that Russian forces really intervened in Crimea, but that they were prepared to take even more aggressive action, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

KIEV, March 17 – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is alarmed at the reduction of the feed-in electricity tariffs by 50-55% effective this month, Serhiy Maslichenko, a senior manager of the energy efficiency department at the EBRD representative office in Ukraine, told Interfax-Ukraine.

WASHINGTON, March 17 - Ukraine's finance minister on Tuesday said the country wants to be "flexible" in its discussions with sovereign bondholders over renegotiating its debt, and is not ruling out any form of agreement, including maturity extension, Reuters reported.

KIEV, March 17 - Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to offer limited self-rule to pro-Russian rebels in the east to try to preserve Western support for peace efforts, despite some deputies saying it would give separatists more scope to tighten their grip on the region, Reuters reported.

MOSCOW, March 17 - Crimea's Supreme Council has declared independence from Ukraine.

"The decree 'On the Independence of Crimea' was passed at an extraordinary session of the Crimean Supreme Council on March 17, 2014. It was favored by 85 deputies," the Council said on Monday.

KIEV, March 17 – A new Stand-by Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund could be agreed by late March, Economic Development and Trade Minister Pavlo Sheremeta said.

MOSCOW, March 17 - No significant decrease in trade relations between Russia and the European Union is expected in case the EU introduces sanctions against Russia following the Crimean referendum, Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said.