国际英语新闻:Ukraine Separatists to Hold Secession Vote

Reiterating on Thursday, that there has been “no change in the Russian force posture along the Ukrainian border,” the Pentagon released details about ongoing and planned military exercises in the Baltics and Eastern Europe.

A Pentagon spokesperson said U.S. special operations forces are taking part in pre-planned training exercises in Estonia. The drills are said include weapons familiarization, tactical movement and mission planning.

Special operations drills in Estonia are the first of three such exercises planned in the Baltics this month, the spokesperson said but provided no details.

U.S. special operations forces will also conduct additional previously unscheduled training in Baltics and Eastern Europe over next two months, the spokesperson added.

The Pentagon says the special operations exercises aim to demonstrate to allies that the U.S. "is committed to security and stability" in the region.

Retaliatory sanctions

Russia has retaliated against U.S. and Canadian sanctions imposed late last month, but will not name those affected, says a spokesman for the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Asked by journalists whether Russia has responded to the latest punitive measures, spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the list of those barred from entering Russia has been expanded but added that “in contrast to the Americans and Canadians, we did not make a show out of it.”

He added that sanctions are not a method by which Russia usually operates, but said that “unfriendly actions force us to fight back.”

“The names of those added to the Russian “no entry” list will not be published, but those on the list will find out who is affected when they apply for a visa,” said Lukashevich.

The U.S., the European Union, Canada and Japan have imposed sanctions on Moscow, mostly against officials close to President Putin, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Ukrainians want unified country, poll finds

A survey of nearly 1,700 Ukrainians says they want their country to remain united, a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday found.

Seventy-seven percent of those polled last month said they wanted the nation's borders to remain intact while 14 percent said parts of the country should be allowed to secede.

While 93 percent of those in the west said the country should remain united, 70 percent of those in the eastern regions agreed.

As for Russia, 67 percent of those polled in Ukraine said it was having a bad influence on their country, compared to 22 percent who backed its role.

The results come ahead of May 25 presidential elections, which Western governments hope can help restore calm in Ukraine and serve as a boost to authorities in Kyiv.

Separatist leader Denis Pushilin said his movement represents the bullhorn of the people and that the east will not accept the government in Kyiv.

Another rebel leader, Myroslav Rudenko, said the decision to go ahead with a secession referendum on May 11 was an expression of the people's will and shows democracy in action. He said he believes the plebiscite will result in a vote to break from Ukraine.

Gas wars

Meanwhile, Russia ordered energy-dependent Ukraine to pay in advance for all future natural gas deliveries, as the cash-poor Kyiv government struggles to maintain economic and political stability.

The Russian Energy Ministry said Ukraine missed a Wednesday deadline to pay down a $3.5 billion energy debt and that all gas sent from June 1 will require cash in advance.

It remained unclear late Thursday what impact the prepayment edict will have on the European Union. Russia supplies about 30 percent of Western Europe's gas needs, with about half of those supplies passing through Ukraine.

Travel warning

The Department of State has issued a warning to U.S. citizens to defer all travel – both essential and non-essential – to several regions of Ukraine.

The affected areas include the Crimean Peninsula, the eastern regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk, and the city of Odessa.