On the draining-away of authority theme, a round-up via Der Standard (note-German speaking) of state organisations changing sides. Apparently at least 400 Foreign Ministry staff have signed a declaration to that effect. 6 generals are reported to have come out for the opposition, as well as a former minister of defence, 40 employees of the Kiev state prosecutor and the prosecutor himself, the mayor of Kiev, the Kiev city police (although I suspect the ones who matter are the forces who answer to the Interior Ministry, in Soviet fashion), and senior staff of the central bank. An interesting comment to the article mentions that Europa besteht für mich aus lauter Sonderwege – in my opinion, Europe is nothing but special cases! That could almost be a blog motto.
An example – the Polish and Lithuanian politicians leading the mediation in what, of course, was once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth….