WW3 Update: Gun Battles In Eastern Ukraine, NATO Steps Up Presence, Odessa Declares 'People's Republic' (Video)

The Latest:

Pro-Russian militiamen are engaged in a gun battle with unknown assailants:

“Unknown gunmen have arrived at one of the check-points from the side of the livestock feed factory, at the turn-off Izyum. They opened fire on peaceful observers at the checkpoint. A group of self-defense personnel have arrived to help the observers. Fighting is going on,” the self-defense forces’ coordinator told Interfax.”  

“From this day on, the Odessa region is declared the Odessa Popular Republic where the power belongs only to the people who live there. Tomorrow at 4pm [13:00 GMT] Odessa should be ground to a halt! Literally! Your task at the indicated time is to block the transport connections indicated on the map with your cars, pedestrians, go to the zebra crossings and stand there. Create as many traffic jams across the city as possible,” the Odessa Anti-Maidan movement website addressed the city’s residents. Source

Meanwhile, Military alliance NATO said on Wednesday it had decided on a series of immediate steps to reinforce its forces in eastern Europe because of the Ukraine crisis.

“You will see deployments at sea, in the air, on land to take place immediately, that means within days,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference after the decisions were taken by NATO ambassadors. Source

Also, at least 6 units of APC’s have defected from the Ukrainian side and joined the people’s militias in Slavyansk, Donetsk region.  ”We decided not to be at war with the people and not to defend authorities like this,” members of the crews explained.  I consider these reports to be valid because we saw a ton of defections in Crimea.  

No doubt about it,things are getting real serious and active over there in the bread basket.  Stay tuned..  and keep a close eye on what is going on in Odessa.