10 Days that Turned Ukraine Upside Down

Here is a snapshot of recent events in Ukraine, where authorities warned Moscow on Thursday not to intervene after pro-Russian gunmen seized government buildings in the Crimean region.

FEBRUARY 18: Violence erupts as 20,000 pro-European protesters march from Kiev's Independence Square to demand that president Viktor Yanukovych be stripped of key powers.

Thousands of protesters armed with stones, fireworks and petrol bombs fight off riot police on the square, which they have occupied for three months.

20: Police open fire on protesters. According to the official toll 82 people are killed in three days, including around 15 police.

21: President and opposition leaders, under pressure from French, German and Polish foreign ministers, sign a deal that includes early elections and the formation of a new unity government.

22: Parliament votes to free opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, imprisoned for more than two years. Parliament approves early presidential elections on May 25, says Yanukovych, who has fled, failed to fulfill his presidential mandate.

- Tymoshenko returns to a rapturous welcome on Independence Square.

23: Oleksandr Turchynov is elected interim president by parliament.

- The White House, France, Germany and Russia call for Ukrainian unity, as Moscow recalls its ambassador for consultations.

24: Ukraine appeals for $35 billion in Western aid to save the country from economic collapse.

- Russia questions the legitimacy of Ukraine's new leadership.

25: Russia says it will not intervene in Ukraine, adds that it should not be forced to choose between Russia and the West.

- Heavyweight boxing world champion and opposition figure Vitali Klitschko launches presidential campaign.

- Parliament urges the International Criminal Court to prosecute Yanukovych for the "mass murder" of protesters in Kiev.

26: Russian President Vladimir Putin puts armed forces in the area near Ukraine on alert.

- Pro-Russian demonstrators brawl with supporters of interim authorities in the capital of the Russian-speaking peninsula of Crimea, Simferopol.

One man reportedly dies of a heart attack.

- Kiev requests an international arrest warrant for Yanukovych, but says he is still in the country.

- Ukraine's new leaders nominate a strongly pro-Western cabinet, headed by Tymoshenko ally Arseniy Yatsenyuk. It is expected to win quick confirmation by parliament on Thursday.

- The United States draws up an aid package including $1 billion in loan guarantees, that might be boosted by $1.5 billion from the European Union.

27: Dozens of pro-Russian gunmen in combat fatigues seize parliament and government buildings in Simferopol.

- Yanukovych is quoted by Russian news agencies as saying he is still Ukraine's head of state, asks Russia to ensure his personal security, a request a source claims has been "satisfied."