UKRAINE CRISIS DEEPENS – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  The Ukraine crisis is deepening, with one German cabinet minister even warning that this could lead to military conflict in Europe.  From Fox: 

Ukraine's acting president said Tuesday that a military operation to quash a pro-Russian insurgency has started in eastern Ukraine after more than a week of seizures of government building in the latest standoff to grip the country.

Oleksandr Turchynov said the “anti-terrorist” operation began in the early morning hours in the northern Donetsk region, where the majority of the pro-Russian forces are located, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“Overnight, an antiterrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk. But it will be phased, responsible and balanced. The purpose of the actions, I stress once again, is to protect the citizens of Ukraine,” Turchynov told Ukraine’s parliament, according to Interfax.

"The plans of the Russian Federation were and remain brutal. They want not only for Donbass (Donetsk region), but for the whole south and east of Ukraine to be engulfed by fire," Turchynov continued. The aim of the operation is to "defend the citizens of Ukraine, to stop terror, stop crime and stop attempts to tear our country into pieces," he said.

Elsewhere the Interior Ministry in the Donetsk region the police station in Kramatorsk that had been seized by pro-Russian gunmen was "liberated" Tuesday, but a nearby small airport was still controlled by the militia.

Over the past 10 days, more than a dozen government offices in 10 eastern Ukraine cities have been taken over by pro-Russian forces, with most of the seizures following the same pattern. Aggressive gangs, sometimes carrying firearms and wearing military fatigues, storm the buildings. The Ukrainian flag is replaced with a Russian one.

The insurgents are demanding broader autonomy and closer ties with Russia. The central government has so far been unable to rein in the separatists, as many of the local security forces have switched to their side.

COMMENT:  It is widely believed that Vladimir Putin's Russia is guiding the pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.  President Obama and President Putin spoke by phone yesterday, but there is no report on any progress toward resolving this crisis.

What is feared is that Russian conventional forces might move on Ukraine, under the pretext of protecting the local pro-Russian population.

This is not getting any better.  We'll be monitoring the situation and watching for any flashpoints.

April 15,  2015