Armed men take up positions around the
regional parliament building in the Crimean city of Simferopol on
Saturday. Ukraine's defense minister said on Saturday Russia had
"recently" brought 6,000 additional personnel into Ukraine.
Russia's parliament unanimously approved a request by President Vladimir Putin to authorize the intervention of Moscow's forces in Ukraine until "the normalization of the political situation" there.
The Federation Council vote came quickly after a formal appeal from Putin, but seemed to only rubber-stamp what has already occurred: Ukraine's defense minister said some 6,000 additional Russian troops are already in the Crimea in what appeared to be a move aimed at maintaining Kremlin access to the strategic peninsula, where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.
Earlier, the Duma Council announced that it had adopted an appeal by Putin asking for the "use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine [until] the normalization of the political situation in [the] country." The full vote came with little or no debate.
Although the additional Russian force appeared, at least for now, to be limited to the Crimean peninsula, Putin's appeal seemed to set up the possibility of a wider intervention.
The military moves, thus far involving mysterious balaclava-clad soldiers, follow the installation this week in Crimea of Sergiy Aksyono, a pro-Russian leader and the ouster a week ago of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Yanukovych fled to Russia and Aksyono asked Moscow for help in "stabilizing the region." The election of Aksyono, who claimed Saturday that and that those forces were guarding government buildings, has been deemed illegal by Kiev.
NPR's Emily Harris reports from the Ukrainian capital that the new government in Kiev has accused Russia of breaking an agreement on stationing troops in Crimea.
Russia's Interfax news agency quotes Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk as demanding that Russia "recall their forces, and return them to their stations."
"Russian partners, stop provoking civil and military resistance in Ukraine," Yatsenyuk said in an apparent reference to pro-Russian partisans in eastern Ukraine.
Harris reports:
The diplomatic shadow boxing is the latest in what many view as an outright Russian invasion of Crimea triggered by President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster last week. Yanukovych was forced out by a months-long protest calling on Ukraine to move away from Russia and align more closely with the West. Ukraine's interim government has promised fresh elections."Ukraine's defense minister says Russia has increased military personnel in Crimea by 6,000 troops. His office put out a statement saying if 'radical elements' enter Ukrainian military facilities in Crimea, [Ukrainian] soldiers will respond."
"Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry posted a statement claiming that overnight Friday an unknown, armed group from Kiev clashed with a local militia holding the interior ministry building in Crimea. There is no independent confirmation of that claim."
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, between Kiev and Moscow.
"We have an agreement with Ukraine on the presence of the Russian Black Sea fleet with a base in Sevastopol, and we are acting within the framework of that agreement," he told reporters after a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
He said Ukraine needs "to refrain from conducting a hasty presidential election. They need to stop trying to intimidate other regions and other political forces."
As , President Obama says he's "deeply concerned" by reports coming from the region, urging Moscow not to intervene and warning of unspecified "costs" from the U.S. and the international community that would result from Russian intervention."Reports speak of a clash overnight in Crimea's capital and an attempt to seize a Ukrainian missile base."
"Ukraine's interim Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, accused Russia of seeking to provoke an escalation."
"The U.S. has called for urgent mediation."
Germany, which , also had cautionary words for Moscow. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday said the situation in Crimea "had become considerably more acute."
"Whoever pours more oil onto the flames now, with words or actions, is consciously aiming for further escalation of the situation," he said. "Everything Russia does in Crimea must be in keeping with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and treaties on Russia's Black Sea fleet."
"We are holding the Russian government to its public statements on this," Steinmeier said. "And this entails also that Russia provides without delay complete transparency over the movements of its troops in Crimea, as well as its goals and intentions behind these."
U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague has also expressed concern to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Reuters reports.
Russia approves use of military in Ukraine
The motion follows President Barack Obama’s warning Friday “there will be costs” if Russia intervenes militarily, sharply raising the stakes in the conflict over Ukraine’s future and evoking memories of Cold War brinkmanship.
Russia’s upper house also recommended that Moscow recalls its ambassador from Washington over Obama’s comments.
Ukraine had already accused Russia on Friday of a “military invasion and occupation” in the strategic peninsula of Crimea where Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk called on Moscow “to recall their forces, and to return them to their stations,” according to the Interfax news agency. “Russian partners, stop provoking civil and military resistance in Ukraine.”
The crisis was sparked when Ukraine’s deposed president, Victor Yanukovych, ditched a deal for closer ties to the European Union and instead turned toward Moscow. Months of protests followed, culminating in security forces killing dozens of protesters and Yanukovych fleeing to Russia.
Ignoring Obama’s warning, Putin said the “extraordinary situation in Ukraine” was putting at risk the lives of Russian citizens and military personnel stationed at a naval base that Moscow has maintained in the Black Sea peninsula since the Soviet collapse.
Putin’s call came as pro-Russian demonstrations broke out in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking east, where protesters raised Russian flags and beat up supporters of the new Ukrainian government.
Putin’s motion loosely refers to the “territory of Ukraine” rather than specifically to Crimea, raising the possibility that Moscow could use military force in other Russian-speaking provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine, where many oppose the new authorities in Kiev. Pro-Russian protests were reported in the eastern cities of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk and the southern port of Odessa.
Ukraine’s population is divided in loyalties between Russia and Europe, with much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the European Union while eastern and southern regions look to Russia for support. Crimea, a semi-autonomous region of Ukraine, is mainly Russian-speaking.
In Saturday’s parliamentary session in Moscow, a deputy house speaker said Obama had insulted Russia and crossed a “red line,” and the upper house recommended the Russian ambassador in Washington be recalled. It will be up to Putin to decide whether that happens.
In Crimea, the pro-Russian prime minister who took office after gunmen seized the regional Parliament claimed control of the military and police there and asked Putin for help in keeping peace, sharpening the discord between the two neighboring Slavic countries.
Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said the election of Sergei Aksyonov as prime minister of Crimea was invalid.
Ukrainian officials and some Western diplomats said that a Russian military intervention is already well underway after heavily armed gunmen in unmarked military uniforms seized control of local government buildings, airports and other strategic facilities in Crimea in recent days.
Crimea only became part of Ukraine in 1954 when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred jurisdiction from Russia, a move that was a mere formality when both Ukraine and Russia were part of the Soviet Union. The Soviet breakup in 1991 meant Crimea landed in an independent Ukraine.
Russia put pressure on Ukraine from another direction when a spokesman for state gas company Gazprom said that Ukraine owed $1.59 billion in overdue bills for imported gas. Sergei Kuprianov was quoted by the RIA-Novosti agency as saying the gas arrears would endanger a recent discount granted by Russia. The discount lowered the price to $268.50 per thousand from other $400. The Russian payment demand and loss of the discount would accelerate Ukraine’s financial crisis. The county is almost broke and seeking emergency credit from the International Monetary Fund.
Russia has taken a confrontational stance toward its southern neighbor after Yanukovych fled the country. Yanukovych was voted out of office by parliament after weeks of protests ended in violence that left more than 80 people dead.
Aksyonov, the Crimea leader, appealed to Putin “for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea.” Aksyonov was voted in by the Crimean parliament on Thursday after pro-Russia gunmen seized the building and as tensions soared over Crimea’s resistance to the new authorities in Kiev, who took office this week.
Obama called on Russia to respect the independence and territory of Ukraine and not try to take advantage of its neighbor, which is undergoing political upheaval.
He said such action by Russia would represent a “profound interference” in matters he said must be decided by the Ukrainian people.
“The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine,” he said. Obama did not say what those costs might be.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt wrote on Twitter that it was “obvious that there is Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Likely immediate aim is to set up puppet pro-Russian semi-state in Crimea.”
At the United Nations, the Ukrainian ambassador, Yuriy Sergeyev, said Friday that Russian transport aircraft and 11 attack helicopters had arrived in Crimea illegally, and that Russian troops had taken control of two airports in Crimea.
He described the gunmen posted outside the two airports as Russian armed forces as well as “unspecified” units.
Russia has kept silent on claims of military intervention and has said any troop movements are within agreed rules, even as it maintained its hard-line stance on protecting ethnic Russians in Crimea.
Meanwhile, flights remained halted from Simferopol’s airport. Dozens of armed men in military uniforms without markings patrolled the area. They didn’t stop or search people leaving or entering the airport, and refused to talk to journalists.
___
Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Pro-Russia leader of Crimea claims military control, appeals to Putin for assistance
On Saturday morning, armed men in helmets and green fatigues replaced local police in front of the regional parliament building, and Prime Minister Serhiy Aksyonov appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help maintaining “peace and tranquility.”
Video
President Obama warned Russia of consequences if they execute a military intervention in Ukraine.
“I’m submitting a request for using the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine pending the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country,” Putin said.
Earlier, Moscow politicians had been moving in what appeared to be well-choreographed steps after the request from Aksyonov.
First, Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the lower house, said Russian lawmakers had appealed to Putin “to take measures to stabilize the situation in Crimea and use all available means to protect the people of Crimea from tyranny and violence.”
Then came Valentina Matviyenko, chairman of the upper house.
“Perhaps in this situation we could grant the Crimean government’s request,” she said, “and send a limited contingent there to provide security for the Black Sea Fleet and Russian citizens living in Crimea.”
She said the decision was up to Putin, but added, “We should protect the people.”
[READ: To understand Crimea, take a look back at its complicated history]
Aksyonov, who became prime minister Thursday, belongs to the Russian Unity party in Crimea, which won about 4 percent of the vote in the last parliamentary election. In making his plea, Aksyonov noted that Ukraine’s central government does not control the situation in the region, as evidenced by the “unidentified” armed men and military equipment that have become so visible.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said “unidentified gunmen directed from Kiev” had tried to capture the Crimean Interior Ministry headquarters. Calling the attempt a “treacherous provocation” that had resulted in casualties, Moscow said that “decisive action” had repelled the “vigilante groups.”
“This confirms the desire of prominent political circles in Kiev to destabilize the peninsula,” the Foreign Ministry said, in a statement posted on its Web site. “We encourage those who give such orders from Kiev to show restraint. We believe it is irresponsible to continue whipping up the already tense situation in the Crimea.”
But there seemed to be little evidence to support the allegation that such an attack had taken place.
Igor Aveytskiy, who was named by the Kiev government to serve as chief of Crimea’s national police, said in an interview that “all was peaceful” at the Ministry of Internal Affairs building Friday night.
“Conditions are good. The situation is under control,” he said, though he would not answer questions about Russian troops.
Members of a pro-Russia self defense militia in front of that building said there were no violent clashes. “It’s all rumors, all lies,” said Mikhail Amirov, who works at an Internet cafe and was standing guard at the Interior Ministry headquarters Friday night.
Heightened Russian military activity in Crimea on Friday prompted a stern warning from President Obama and a deepening sense of crisis among the leaders of the new Ukrainian government in Kiev.
U.S. officials said Russian troops had entered Crimea, and Obama told reporters Friday evening that he was “deeply concerned by reports of military movements” and that there “will be costs for any military intervention.”
Earlier in the day, the new Ukrainian government said that hundreds of soldiers in green camouflage, without insignia but carrying military-style automatic rifles, had taken over two airports in Crimea. Regularly scheduled flights continued, at least until nightfall, when the airspace above Crimea, a region of Ukraine with deep ties to Russia, was suddenly declared closed.
Internet videos of Russian military helicopters flying over Crimea’s muddy winter fields went viral Friday. Russian IL-76 planes suspected of carrying 2,000 troops landed at a military base in Gvardiysky, near the regional capital of Simferopol, according to Crimea’s ATR television.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow had informed Ukraine that it would be moving armored units from its Black Sea navy base in the city of Sevastopol deeper into Crimean territory to protect its operations.
In his remarks, Obama avoided confirming the Russian military movements. But U.S. officials said that confirmation of an influx of troops had prompted the president to speak.
“Any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilizing, which is not in the interests of Ukraine, Russia or Europe,” Obama said.
Whether the Russians were coming, or already here, consumed an anxious new government in Kiev and the residents of Crimea.
The armed men at the airports refused to answer any questions. Residents and outside experts speculated that they might be local paramilitaries, security contractors or even members of an anti-riot police unit that was blamed for the deaths of protesters who packed Kiev’s Independence Square in recent months, leading to the ouster last week of President Viktor Yanukovych. The unit, called the Berkut, was disbanded by the Ukrainian parliament this week and then welcomed to Crimea as heroes.
The men also could have been Russian troops, including members from special anti-terrorist squads used to protect Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which is anchored here. Units from the Russian fleet are often seen on the highways here.
The Ukrainian parliament demanded that Russia halt what lawmakers described as violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“What is happening can be called an armed invasion and occupation. In violation of all international treaties and norms. This is a direct provocation for armed bloodshed in the territory of a sovereign state,” said Arsen Avakov, Ukraine’s new interior minister.
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency, closed-door meeting Friday in response to a request from Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador, Yuriy Sergeyev, who cited “the deterioration of the situation” in Crimea.
The U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity about internal deliberations, declined to provide numbers or specific locations of Russian deployments. Sergeyev told the Security Council that there had been an “illegal crossing [of] the borders by Russian military transport aircraft IL-76, about 10 of them, and that 11 military attack helicopters had also violated Ukrainian air space.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said in a statement Friday that “it appears that the Russian military now controls the Crimean peninsula.”
An administration official said options being considered by the United States and its European partners if the Russians do not pull back included canceling attendance at the June G-8 summit to be held in Sochi, site of the Winter Olympics, and rejecting Russian overtures for deepening trade and commercial ties. The official also cited an indirect impact on the value of the ruble.
There was no overt discussion of a Western military response. Asked what Ukraine wanted the international community to do, Sergeyev told reporters after the Security Council meeting: “We want you to help us bring the truth around the world. . . . Political support — do everything possible in insurance of preventive diplomacy. Still we have a chance to stop the negative developments . . . with strong voice around the world.”
The council decided to send a mediator to Ukraine and indicated that it may hold further meetings.
In a speech Friday evening, Ukraine’s interim president, Oleksandr Turchynov, accused Moscow of “trying to provoke” Kiev into an “armed conflict.”
Turchynov said the Russians were pursing an “Abkhazia plan,” suggesting that Moscow was interested in a reprise of its 2008 war with Georgia, where it wrested control of two breakaway republics, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
But Ukraine is much larger — and far more complicated — perhaps requiring a more subtle strategy. That line of thinking led to speculation that Russia was encouraging loyal civilian forces to put on unmarked uniforms, take up arms and hold ground for Russian troops, should they be deployed.
Ukraine’s new leaders assert that troops from the Black Sea Fleet had also blocked entrances to Belbek’s dual civilian and military airport near Sevastopol.
A spokesman for the Black Sea Fleet denied the reports that its troops were involved, according to the Interfax news agency.
“No subdivision of the Black Sea Fleet has been advanced into the Belbek area, let alone involved in blocking it,” the spokesman said. “Given the unstable situation around the Black Sea Fleet bases in the Crimea, and the places where our service members live with their families, security has been stepped by the Black Sea Fleet’s anti-terror units.”
At the Belbek airport, armed men and a military transport truck blocked the entrance. Whoever the men were, they did not resemble the more motley civilian self-defense militias operating here. They were trained soldiers. When a man who appeared to be a Russian officer with two bodyguards approached them, they spread out in defensive, flanking positions, squatted, their fingers off the triggers, and waited for orders.
A convoy of armored personnel carriers stopped alongside a major highway here, and soldiers inside one of the vehicles said in a brief interview that they were Russian Federation troops, from a base in the Krasnodar region, about 300 miles to the east in Russia.
In the Balaklava district near Sevastopol, at least 20 men wearing the uniform of the Black Sea Fleet and carrying automatic rifles surrounded a Ukrainian border guard post Friday, initiating a tense standoff with the border police inside, Reuters news agency reported.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin broke his week-long silence on Ukraine with a mixed message. He ordered Russian officials to consult with other nations as well as the International Monetary Fund on means of financial assistance for Ukraine. He also said that efforts to maintain and promote trade between Russia and Ukraine should continue.
At the same time, Putin said Moscow would consider the possibility of sending humanitarian supplies to Crimea.
[READ: Ousted Ukrainian president says he’s surprised by Putin’s silence]
Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“We raised the issue of the airports, raised the issue of armored vehicles, raised the issue of personnel in various places,” Kerry said. “And while we were told that they are not engaging in any violation of the sovereignty and do not intend to, I nevertheless made it clear that that could be misinterpreted at this moment, and that there are enough tensions that it is important for everybody to be extremely careful not to inflame the situation and not to send the wrong messages.”
Lally reported from Moscow, DeYoung from Washington, . Will Englund in Kiev and Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/obama-warns-russia-over-military-moves-in-crimea/2014/02/28/c82780a4-a0d8-11e3-878c-65222df220eb_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-deeply-concerned-obama-warns-russia-against-action-in-crimea/2014/03/01/c56ca34c-a111-11e3-a050-dc3322a94fa7_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop
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