Ukraine 'disbands elite Berkut anti

Ukraine's acting interior minister has said the elite Berkut police unit, blamed for the deaths of protesters, has been disbanded.

It is unclear what will happen to Berkut officers but Arsen Avakov said more details would be given in a briefing on Wednesday.

The unit had 4,000-5,000 members stationed across Ukraine.

Meanwhile, there are reports that that a new cabinet may be announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Parliament had officially delayed the formation of a unity government until Thursday.

The delay was to allow further consultations, interim President Oleksandr Turchynov said, adding that 'a coalition of national faith must be elected'.

Also on Wednesday Mr Turchynov announced that he had assumed the duties of the head of the armed forces.

Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev at the weekend and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Interim authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, and on Tuesday parliament voted in favour of trying him at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The fugitive president is accused of being behind the deaths of more than 100 protesters at the hands of riot police.

International divisions

Also on Wednesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on other countries to condemn 'nationalist and neo-fascist' sentiment in western Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov called on the OSCE to condemn 'calls to ban the Russian language, to turn the Russian-speaking population into 'non-citizens' and to restrict freedom of expression'.

Russia has portrayed the ousting of Mr Yanukovych as a violent seizure of power by the opposition, and has expressed concern about the role of far-right parties in the protests against him.

Many Russian-speaking residents in the south and east of Ukraine have protested against the actions of the interim authorities.

In the Crimean port city Sevastopol on Tuesday, some people replaced the Ukrainian flag on a local government building with a Russian flag.

Mr Lavrov has said Russia's 'policy of non-intervention' would continue.

Separatist 'threat'

Mr Lavrov's comments came a day after Secretary of State John Kerry said Ukraine was not caught in a battle between East and West.

'This is not a zero-sum game. It is not Russia or the United States, this is about the people of Ukraine and Ukrainians making their choices about the future - and we want to work with Russia and other countries, with everybody available, to make sure this is peaceful from this day forward,' he said.

The US and EU countries have broadly backed the takeover of power by the opposition.

The new administration in Kiev is facing continuing opposition from Ukraine's Russian-speaking regions.

Earlier, Ukraine's Mr Turchynov expressed concern about what he called the serious threat of separatism following the ousting of Mr Yanukovych.

Addressing parliament, he said he would meet law enforcement agencies to discuss the risk of separatism in regions with large ethnic Russian populations. Separatism was a 'serious threat', he said.

Mr Yanukovych fled Kiev at the weekend and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Interim authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, and on Tuesday parliament voted in favour of trying him at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The fugitive president is accused of being behind the deaths of more than 100 protesters at the hands of riot police.

Unrest in Ukraine began in November when Mr Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.

Ukraine is close to bankruptcy and with promised loans from Russia looking increasingly unlikely, interim leaders are looking to the West to bail the country out.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton held talks in Kiev on Tuesday to discuss financial and political support for Ukraine's new leaders.

She urged the provisional authorities to include Yanukovych supporters in any new government, adding: 'Everyone I've spoken to here recognises the importance of this country sticking together. But we also know that there are big financial and economic challenges in the days, weeks and months ahead.'

Yanukovych's flight from Kiev 21 Feb: leaves Kiev for Kharkiv on helicopter; stays overnight in state residence 22 Feb: flies by helicopter to Donetsk airport; tries to leave on private jet but stopped by border guards; leaves by car for Crimea 23 Feb: arrives in Balaklava, Crimea, and stays briefly in a private spa before making aborted attempt to reach Belbek airport Dismisses most of his security detail; leaves Balaklava in a three-car convoy with some guards and presidential administration head Andriy Kliuyev Source: Acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov Are you in Ukraine? What is your reaction to the recent events? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.ukRead the terms and conditions adding 'Ukraine' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

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