| CNN | - |
Simferopol,
Ukraine (CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be
dismissing warnings from world leaders to avoid military intervention in
Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, even amid growing evidence that
pro-Russian forces were already in control of ...
Ukraine mobilizes troops amid crisis with Russia
updated 3:08 AM EST, Sun March 2, 2014
A woman waits in front of
unidentified men in military fatigues blocking a base of the Ukrainian
frontier guard unit in Balaklava, Ukraine, on March 1. Ukraine suspects
Russia of sending new troops into Crimea and provoking separatist
tensions in the region. Crimea is an autonomous republic of Ukraine with
an ethnic Russian majority. It's the last large bastion of opposition
to Ukraine's new political leadership after President Viktor
Yanukovych's ouster.
HIDE CAPTION
Ukraine in transition
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Ukraine is mobilizing troops around the country, official says
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemns Russia's "invasion and occupation''
- Putin says Russia reserves the right to defend its interests and people
- Obama made clear violating Ukraine's sovereignty would impact Russia's standing
The Ukrainian National
Security Council ordered the mobilization as Russian President Vladimir
Putin appeared to dismiss warnings from world leaders to avoid military
intervention in Crimea, a senior Ukrainian official, Andriy Parubiy,
said. The news came as evidence mounted that pro-Russian forces were
already in Crimea, an autonomous region of eastern Ukraine with strong
loyalty to neighboring Russia.
A sense of escalating
crisis swirled Saturday night, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
condemning what he called "the Russian Federation's invasion and
occupation of Ukrainian territory" despite a statement by Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev that no decision had been made on whether
Moscow would dispatch forces.
Russia has not confirmed
it deployed thousands of troops to the region following reports that
armed, Russian-speaking forces wearing military uniforms -- without
insignia -- patrolled key infrastructure sites.
It was the latest in
fast-moving developments that saw Russia's Parliament sign off on
Putin's request to send military forces into Ukraine, raising the stakes
in the escalating game of brinksmanship.
Putin cited in his
request a threat posed to the lives of Russian citizens and military
personnel based in southern Crimea. Ukrainian officials have vehemently
denied Putin's claim. CNN crews in and around Crimea's regional capital
of Simferopol, meanwhile, have not seen evidence of a Ukrainian military
presence.
Putin's move prompted
world diplomats to call for a de-escalation of tensions that have put
the two neighbors on a possible path to war and roiled relations between
Russia and the United States.
In what appeared to be an
illustration of the growing schism between the two world powers, U.S.
President Barack Obama and Putin spoke for 90 minutes -- with each
expressing their concern over the mounting crisis, according to separate
statements released by their respective governments.
According to the Kremlin,
Putin told Obama that Russia reserves the right to defend its interests
in the Crimea region and the Russian-speaking people who live there.
"President Obama made
clear that Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and
territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia's standing in the
international community," according to a statement released by the White
House.
Lean to the West, or to Russia?
Ukraine, a nation of 45
million people sandwiched between Europe and Russia's southwestern
border, has been plunged into chaos since the ouster a week ago of
President Viktor Yanukovych following bloody street protests that left
dozens dead and hundreds wounded.
Ukraine has faced a
deepening schism, with those in the west generally supporting the
interim government and its European Union tilt, while many in the east
preferring a Ukraine where Russia casts a long shadow.
Nowhere is that feeling
more intense than in Crimea, the last big bastion of opposition to the
new political leadership. Ukraine suspects Russia of fomenting tension
in the autonomous region that might escalate into a bid for separation
by its Russian majority.
Ukraine acting President
Oleksandr Turchynov took to the airwaves late Saturday to warn that any
Russian military intervention would lead to war. Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk said his country was ready to mobilize its forces to protect
strategic locations, including nuclear power plants.
'The troops are already there'
The crisis raised alarm
bells with the worlds diplomats, with Ukrainian ambassador Yuriy
Sergeyev calling on member nations of the U.N. Security Council to take a
stand against what he called Russia's "clear act of aggression.''
"... The troops are
already there, and their number is increasing every hour," Sergeyev said
during an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
Russia now has 15,000
troops in Ukraine's Crimea region, Yegor Pyvovarov, the spokesman for
the Ukraine mission at the United Nations, told CNN ahead of Saturday's
session of the Security Council. He did not say how Ukraine arrived at
that number, or whether that included troops already stationed at a
Russian base in the region.
Vitaly Churkin, Russia's
ambassador to the United Nations, rejected Ukraine's calls to stop
Russian intervention. "We can't agree with this at all," he said.
He blamed members of the European Union for causing the bloody street demonstrations in Ukraine.
"It's a difficult
situation in the past few hours," Churkin said, claiming that there were
Ukrainian forces from Kiev en route to to overthrow the local
pro-Russian governments in eastern Ukraine and Crimea and establish new
ones that would enforce the power of the new Ukrainian government.
Churkin has said reports
of Russian troops taking charge of positions on the ground were rumors
and noted that rumors "are always not true."
Crimea's pro-Russian leader asked for help
The Russian Parliament
vote Saturday came on the day that the newly installed pro-Russian
leader of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, asked Putin for help in maintaining
peace on the Black Sea peninsula -- where Russia's fleet is based at
Sevastopol.
Security forces "are
unable to efficiently control the situation in the republic," he said in
comments broadcast on Russian state channel Russia 24. Aksyonov was
installed as the region's premier after armed men took over the Crimean
Parliament building on Thursday.
Aksyonov said that a referendum on greater Crimean autonomy, originally set for May 25, would be moved to March 30.
Yatsenyuk called the Russian presence in Crimea a provocation.
"Ukraine will not be
provoked, we will not use force. We demand that the government of the
Russian Federation immediately withdraw its troops and return to their
home bases," he said during a televised Cabinet meeting.
Meanwhile, Ukraine
Defense Minister Igor Tenyukh said his nation's military was at its
highest state of military readiness. He credited negotiations during the
day between the Ukrainian and Russian naval chiefs with easing tensions
and said more negotiations were planned for Sunday.
Airspace in the region
reopened Saturday, a day after Ukraine accused Russian Black Sea forces
of trying to seize two airports in Crimea but said Ukrainian security
forces had prevented them from taking control.
Groups of armed men,
dressed in uniforms without identifying insignia, patrolled the airports
in Simferopol and the nearby port city of Sevastopol. The men remained
at the airports Saturday, but Yevgey Plaksin, director of the airport in
Simferopol, said airport services were working.
Obama: Warning to Russia
Meanwhile, Obama's
message to Russia also reached Congress, where the ranking member of the
Senate Armed Services Committee called for an immediate response to
Russia's move.
"Every moment that the
United States and our allies fail to respond sends the signal to
President Putin that he can be even more ambitious and aggressive in his
military intervention in Ukraine," Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said in
a statement.
He called on Obama to
"make clear what costs Russia will face for its aggression and to impose
those consequences without further delay."
Senior White House
officials say they are looking at a wide range of possible economic and
diplomatic measures to present to Obama that would show Putin there is a
cost to his actions in Ukraine.
The White House has
already announced the United States will suspend participation in
preparatory meetings for the G-8 Summit that will bring world leaders
together in June in Sochi, Russia.
"Going forward, Russia's
continued violation of international law will lead to greater political
and economic isolation," according to a statement released by the
administration.
Pressure was mounting on
Russia as leaders from the EU and the UK joined an international
outcry, with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton deploring Russia's
"unwarranted escalation of tensions."
During a telephone call
with Putin, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said he told the Russian
leader that it was crucial to "restore calm and proceed to an immediate
de-escalation of the situation."
"Cool heads must prevail and dialogue must be the only tool in ending this crisis," he said.
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