While the government in Kiev tries to eliminate the “foreign invader”, as it calls the Russian-speaking separatists that still occupy government buildings in eastern Ukraine, the international community is watching with bated breath the dramatic turn the situation has taken, hoping tomorrow’s talks in Geneva with the participation of the EU, U.S., Ukraine and Russia will diffuse the crisis. On the second day of Kiev’s military operation, Ukrainian armored vehicles invaded Kramatorsk a while ago, but encountered resistance from Russian-speaking separatists, according to the news agency “Kievpost”.

At the same time, six armored personnel carriers entered the city Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine. The lead vehicle was bearing the Russian flag, according to witnesses. About fifteen disparate gunmen wearing uniforms without insignia sat on the roof of vehicles and they appeared to be pro-Russian activists, clarifies Reuters. The convoy stopped outside the town hall which has been occupied by separatists. Armed pro-Russian separatists also seized the seat of the municipality of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, as stated by  a spokesperson of the city council.

On his part, the Ukrainian prime minister claims that thousands of Russian troops have been deployed at the border of Ukraine while the U.S. military is on alert, according to the Washington Post. For “WSJ”, Kremlin’s leader Vladimir Putin is testing the limits of his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama  while pursuing the annexation of regions in eastern Ukraine.

Yesterday afternoon units of the Ukrainian armed forces recaptured the Kramatorsk airport, which has been seized by pro-Russian separatists. A fighter plane attempted to land at the airport, but was stopped by enemy fire. Later however,  two helicopters were able to land, carrying men of the special forces. Russian media reported that four people died and two were injured, but the information was not confirmed until late in the evening. At the same time, an operation of the Ukrainian army was underway in the city Slaviansk, one of the epicenters of the pro-Russian uprising against the government of Kiev. The General of the Ukrainian security service, SBU, Valery Krotov warned that the “rebels” who will not lay down their arms are going to be “destroyed” by the armed forces of the country.

Meanwhile, the launch of the Ukrainian army’s operation in eastern Ukraine and the threat of Russian intervention had a direct economic impact on both countries. The overall stock market index in Moscow dropped yesterday by 3.2% while the Ukrainian government was forced to raise the deposit rate from 6.5% to 9.5%, trying to stop the exchange. In a symbolic gesture of solidarity with Kiev, the German company RWE started sending yesterday natural gas to Ukraine, as Russia threatens to disrupt the supply of its neighbors due to their huge debts. However, the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, has assured the European Commission that the Russian gas behemoth will respect its obligations towards its European partners.