--- title: VIDEO: John Kerry Warns Russia Over Ukraine description: As tensions smolder in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. has sent a warning. canonical: https://time.com/77542/kerry-warns-russia-over-ukraine/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-25T16:55:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:52:38.515Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch: John Kerry Warns Russia Over Ukraine og:description: As tensions smolder in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. has sent a warning. og:url: https://time.com/77542/kerry-warns-russia-over-ukraine/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba3db4c074191cfa/69868c8b35ba6f0284c01b5c/kerry-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: John Kerry og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch: John Kerry Warns Russia Over Ukraine twitter:description: As tensions smolder in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. has sent a warning. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba3db4c074191cfa/69868c8b35ba6f0284c01b5c/kerry-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kerry Warns Russia Over Ukraine > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6dcc59af-e991-4317-b32d-12378fd14578&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Kerry Warns Russia Against Moving Troops Into Ukraine [Watch (HLS stream): Kerry Warns Russia Against Moving Troops Into Ukraine](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5fpSX7wJ.m3u8) (1:43)  _Published 2014-04-25. As tensions smolder in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. sent a warning. Saying Russia was using “the barrel of a gun and the force of the mob,” Kerry accused Russian intelligence and special ops of actively working to destabilize eastern Ukraine._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Apr 25, 2014 4:55 PM UTC As tensions smolder in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. sent a warning. Saying Russia was using “the barrel of a gun and the force of the mob,” Kerry accused Russian intelligence and special ops of actively working to destabilize eastern Ukraine. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Apr 25, 2014 4:55 PM UTC With tensions smoldering in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. gave Russia a new warning Thursday. Saying Russia was using “the barrel of a gun and the force of the mob,” Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russian intelligence and special ops of actively working to destabilize eastern Ukraine. “For seven days, Russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction. Not a single Russian official—not one—has publicly gone on television in Ukraine and called on the separatists to support the Geneva Agreement, to support the stand-down, to give up their weapons and get out of the Ukrainian buildings,” Kerry said, adding that “if Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake.” ## Transcript As tensions smolder in eastern Ukraine, the U. S. sends a warning. Almost instantly, the analysis started on whether Russia was even listening to U. S. Secretary of State, John Kerry. Let me be clear. If Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it would be an expensive mistake. Saying Russia was using the barrel of a gun and the force of the mob, Kerry accused the Russian intelligence and special ops of actively working to destabilize Ukraine. Meanwhile Ukraine continued its anti- terrorist operation in eastern cities like Slovyansk, killing some of the pro Russian militants who taken control of the city and set up road blocks around it. That's the kind of violence that puts these tensions, as one CNN correspondent put it, extraordinarily close to open conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin had already warned any aggression against ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine would have consequences. If the Kiev regime has started to use the army against the population inside the country, it's, it's a very serious crime. Russian citizen being attacked. It's an attack against the Russia Federation. Russia continued its military exercises involving tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border. As a writer for BBC points out, if you analyze the tough language coming out of Moscow in recent days, and look at the way this conflict is being portrayed by Russian TV channels, as Kiev sending in troops against innocent civilians, there is no sign that the Kremlin is prepared to change its view. The US has warned economic sanctions against Russia could come as soon as Friday. And Standard and Poors cut Russia's credit rating to the agency's lowest possible investment grade rating. Thanks for watching. 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