Why Ukraine Is Such A Big Deal For Russia

by KRISHNADEV CALAMUR
February 21, 201411:52 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych,
chat during a news conference after talks in Moscow on Dec. 17.
Ivan Sekretarev/AP
There's cautious optimism
in Ukraine and the West on
Friday at news that President
Viktor Yanukovych has agreed
to hold new elections, form a
unity government and restore a
constitution drafted in 2004.
But the mood in Moscow may
not be as optimistic.
One reason for this, as NPR's
Greg Myre reported, is that
Russian President Vladimir
Putin wants to stem his
country's decline in global
influence: Moscow's leverage
in places like Ukraine is one
way to preserve that influence.
But there are other reasons
why Ukraine is of deep interest
to Russia reasons that have
more to do with history, faith,
economics and culture.
A Special Relationship
Matthew Rojansky, director of
the Kennan Institute at
the Wilson Center, says the
two countries "are joined at the
hip": They share language;
Russian media are popular in
Ukraine; there are family ties;
many Ukrainians work in
Russia; and Russians have
billions of dollars invested in
Ukraine.
"Their relationship is like the
U.S.-U.K. special
relationship," Rojansky says.
Historically, those ties date
back to before the Soviet
Union and even before the
days of the Russian empire
that began in the 18th century.
Many consider Ukraine to be
the birthplace of the region's
Orthodox Christianity. Ukraine
then became part of the
Russian empire, and later part
of the Soviet Union, where
Ukrainian men were pivotal in
the Soviet defeat of
the German army in World
War II. (Ukraine was perhaps
the most important Soviet
republic after Russia).
Linguistic And Economic
Ties
Linguistically, as we've told
you before, most Ukrainians
speak both Ukrainian and
Russian. But it's the eastern
and southern parts of the
country where
Russian speakers dominate,
and where Russia still holds
influence.
Take Crimea, for instance.
More than half of its 2 million
people are Russian, and Russia
still maintains a naval base
there. In fact, the region was
part of Russia until 1954,
when Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev gave it to Ukraine
as a present. When the Soviet
Union broke up in 1991,
Crimea became part of an
independent Ukraine.
Millions of Ukrainians work in
Russia, and according to the
EU-funded Migration Policy
Centre, the Russia-Ukraine
border is the second-
largest migration corridor in
the world. (The U.S.-Mexico
border is the largest.) The
center says that in 2011, more
than one-third of all Ukrainian
migration was to Russia.
Russian companies are one of
the largest investors in
Ukraine, accounting for 7
percent of totalforeign
investment in 2013, according
to official Ukrainian statistics.
And when Yanukovych
walked away from the deal on
closer economic and political
ties with the EU, Russia said it
would buy $15 billion worth of
Ukrainian bonds, giving Kiev
an economic lifeline. (But on
Friday Moscow said it was
taking a wait-and-
see approach to the events
unfolding across the border.)
Ukraine is also a key
component of Russia's plans
for a Eurasian customs union
with some other former Soviet
states. But as Steven Pifer,
former U.S. ambassador to
Ukraine, told NPR's Robert
Siegel, "for many Ukrainians,
and I even think for President
Yanukovych, that's not where
they want to go."
Seeds Of Discord
The crisis in Ukraine is, in
many ways, a conflict about
the former Soviet republic's
future direction: Should it look
westward toward the EU or
maintain close ties with
Russia?
Until recently, this wasn't an
either/or question, says
Stephen Sestanovich, a
professor of international
diplomacy at Columbia
University.
"For 20-odd years, it has been
possible for the Ukrainians to
kind of have it both ways,"
Sestanovich told NPR's Siegel.
"What is now the troubling
issue on the agenda is the
perception of a lot of people
that you do have to choose,
and that is producing violence
across Ukraine."
There are
historical reasons for some of
the antipathy especially in
the western part of Ukraine
that borders Poland, where the
protests against Yanukovych
have been the loudest. This
area was once part of Poland
and Austro-Hungary, and
became part of Ukraine only
whenWorld War II began.
Ukraine was the victim of
the 1932-33 famine induced by
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Later, it was among the Soviet
republics that bore the brunt of
the Chernobyl disaster.
Those events undoubtedly
resonated in the public
memory for years: Ukraine
was one of the first Soviet
republics to vote for
independence from the USSR.
It did so overwhelmingly in
1991. The Soviet Union fell
apart soon after that.
ukraine
russia
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Obama and Merkel insist on diplomatic
path in Ukraine
6427
Tuesday 18 March 2014 23.53
1 of 4
Armed Russian forces arrest Ukrainian army officers during an operation in Simferopol
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama have condemned
Russia's moves to annex Crimea but said "a clear path" remains to solve the crisis
diplomatically.
In a phone call the two leaders also agreed that Ukraine's territorial integrity had suffered
"unacceptable blows", according to a German government spokesman.
Mr Obama and Ms Merkel spoke after President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty claiming
the Black Sea region of Crimea as Russian territory, and as Ukraine warned the showdown
had entered a "military stage" after soldiers were killed on both sides.

RELATED AUDIO & VIDEO
Watch: Ukrainian military says one of its officers was killed in an attack in Crimea
Watch: US and Europe warn of fresh sanctions planned against Russia
Watch: Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Crimea is returning home
MORE RELATED CLIPS +
Russia's move, less than three weeks after pro-Moscow troops first seized control of
thestrategic peninsula, was slammed by Western leaders.
"The one-sided declaration of Crimea's independence and the absorption into theRussian
Federation that started today are unacceptable blows against the territorial integrity of
Ukraine," German spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
Mr Merkel and Ms Obama agreed that the "so-called" referendum on secession held in
Crimea on Sunday breached Ukraine's constitution and international law, Mr Seibert added.
In a statement issued by the White House the leaders warned "there would be costs" for
Russia's moves.
"They agreed it was vital to send international monitors from the Organisation for Security
Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations to southern and eastern Ukraine
immediately," the statement said.
However, both Berlin and Washington said there was room for negotiations to de-escalate
the situation.
"Both leaders agreed to continue to underscore to Russian President Putin that
thereremains a clear path for resolving this crisis diplomatically, in a way that addresses
the interests of both Russia and the people of Ukraine," the White House statement said.
Earlier Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said the conflict with Russia
was entering a "military stage".
One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and another was wounded during a raid on a
Ukrainian military base in Crimea.
Mr Yatsenyuk described the attack as a "war crime".
Ukraine issued orders permitting its soldiers in Crimea to use weapons to protect their lives,
acting President Oleksander Turchynov's press service said.
Until now, forces deployed on the Black Sea peninsula, taken over three weeks ago by
Russian forces, had been told to avoid using arms against attack.
Putin defends actions in Crimea
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a fiercely patriotic speech in the Kremlin,
describing Crimea as an inseparable part of Russia.
Addressing a special joint session of parliament in Moscow, Mr Putin accused the West of
reverting to Cold War containment by trying to stop the Ukrainian region joining Russia.
He defended Russia's actions in the crisis over the Black Sea peninsula, which has pushed
relations with the West to a post-Cold War low.
To the Russian national anthem, Mr Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty on making
Crimea part of Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen condemned Russia's move to annex
the Crimea region, saying Moscow had embarked on a "dangerous path".
"I condemn President (Vladimir) Putin's announcement of new laws incorporating Crimea
into the Russian Federation," Mr Rasmussen said in a statement.
"Russia has disregarded all calls to step back into line with international law and continues
down the dangerous path.
Mr Rasmussen said there was no justification for the action, which would "deepen Russias
international isolation."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has denied
a report by a Russian news agency that he would meet Mr Putin in Moscow tomorrow.
Interfax cited diplomatic sources in its report.
"No. President Van Rompuy will not go to Moscow tomorrow," Preben Aamann, a
spokesman for Mr Van Rompuy, said.
"He will be preparing for the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday this
week."
Putin's actions condemned by West
There has been widespread condemnation of Mr Putins actions by Western political
leaders.
Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok said the
European Union would impose increased sanctions on Russia if it continued to ignore
international law.
Speaking on RT's News at One, Mr Brok said: "Russian propaganda" ignored the reality
that it had occupied another country and held a referendum, and that this was a clear
breach of Crimea's constitutional laws and of international laws.
He called Russia's behaviour akin to that of the "big powers of the 19th Century".
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would suspend all bilateral military
cooperation with Russia following Mr Putins actions.
"We have suspended all such cooperation," Mr Hague told parliament, saying a technical
cooperation agreement and joint naval exercises with Russia, France, Britain and the
US had been put on hold.
Putin dismisses concerns over threat to Ukraine
In his speech, Mr Putin had said that the Crimean issue was of "historic importance for all of
us."
Addressing members of his government, business leaders and Crimean leaders, he
said: "In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an
inseparable part of Russia.
"This commitment, based on truth and justice, was firm, was passed from generation to
generation," he said in the speech lasting 47 minutes.
He depicted the Black Sea peninsula as a holy place for Russia and accused the West,
which has imposed sanctions on some Russians and Ukrainians, of crossing a red line.
Mr Putin dismissed concerns that Russia would try to seize other regions in Ukraine.
But he added: "Our Western partners, headed by the United States, prefer not to be guided
by international law in their practical policies, but by the rule of the gun."
"They have come to believe in their exceptionalism and their sense of being the chosen
ones. That they can decide the destinies of the world, that it is only them who can be right."
Mr Putin signed a decree recognising Crimea as an independent state yesterday.
It came one day after it voted overwhelmingly for union with Russia in a referendum which
the West said was illegitimate.
Mr Putin also heavily criticised the new leadership in Kiev, which ousted Moscow-backed
President Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February, saying they had opened the door to "neo-
Nazis".
"Those who were behind recent events, they were ... preparing a coup d'etat, another one.
They were planning to seize power, stopping at nothing. Terror, murder, pogroms were
used," he said.
"It is primarily they who are deciding how Ukraine lives today. The so-called Ukrainian
authorities introduced a scandalous law on the revision of the language policy, which
directly violated the rights of the national minorities."
Crimea to adopt rouble as official currency
Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliyev said the region would adopt the
Russian rouble as the official currency and drop the Ukrainian hryvnia from April.

Crimean authorities had earlier said the hryvnia would remain an official currency until 2016.
Within hours of the referendum result, the Crimean parliament formally asked that Russia
"admit the Republic of Crimea as a new subject with the status of a republic".
Ukraine and the West said the referendum, held under armed Russian occupation, violated
Ukraine's constitution and international law.
The US and EU have imposed personal sanctions on Russian and Crimean officials.
US President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on 11 Russians and Ukrainians blamed for
the seizure, including Mr Yanukovych, and Vladislav Surkov and Sergei Glazyev, two aides
to Mr Putin.
Mr Putin himself, suspected in the West of trying to resurrect as much as possible of the
former Soviet Union under Russian leadership, was not on the blacklist.
A White House spokesman declined to rule out adding him at a later stage.
Amid fears that Russia may move into eastern Ukraine where there is a significant Russian-
speaking community, Mr Obama warned that "further provocations" would only increase
Russia's isolation and exact a greater toll on its economy.
"If Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions," he
said.
A senior US official said Mr Obama's order cleared the way to impose sanctions on people
associated with the arms industry and targets "the personal wealth of cronies" of the
Russian leadership.
In Brussels, the EU's 28 foreign ministers agreed to subject 21 Russian and Ukrainian
officials to visa restrictions and asset freezes for their roles in the events. They included
three Russian military commanders in Crimea and districts bordering on Ukraine.
There were only three names in common on the US and European lists - Crimean Prime
Minister Sergey Aksyonov, Crimean parliament Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov and Leonid
Slutski, chairman of the Russian Duma's committee on the Russian-led Commonwealth of
Independent States, or CIS, grouping former Soviet republics.
The EU blacklisted My Yanukovych earlier this month.
The US list appeared to target higher-profile Russian officials close to Mr Putin, including a
deputy Russian prime minister, while the EU went for mid-ranking officials who may have
been more directly involved on the ground.
The US and the EU said further steps could follow in the coming days if Russia does not
back down and if it formally annexes Crimea.
Mr Obama said he would travel to Europe next week and that Vice President Joe Biden was
heading to Poland and Lithuania to reassure US allies in the region.
A senior Obama administration official said there was "concrete evidence" that some ballots
in the Crimea referendum arrived in some Crimean cities pre-marked.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who was named on the White House
sanctions list, suggested that the measures would not affect those without assets abroad.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for European Affairs Paschal Donohoe has said the ultimate
objective of the EU in how it approaches the crisis in Ukraine is to continue in dialogue with
Russia.
Speaking on RT's Morning Ireland, Mr Donohoe rejected suggestions that there was
disagreement between international leaders about how sanctions imposed on Russian and
Crimean officials involved in the seizure of Crimea would work.
Mr Donohoe said there was very clear agreement that these sanctions should be put in
place and that the individuals concerned should be targeted.
However, he said the ultimate objective of the EU was to continue negotiations with Russia
to lead to a peaceful solution.
Minister Donohoe said EU leaders would continue to argue and be clear at a meeting of
heads of state later this week that the referendum on the status of Crimea was illegal.
Mr Putin's senior foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said Russia views Western sanctions
with a "sense of irony and sarcasm".
Ukraine crisis: March 18 as it happened
Britain suspends military co-operation with Russia as Ukrainian soldier killed during
attack on base

President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of the Russian parliament Photo: REUTERS
By Josie Ensor, and Lucy Kinder
7:33PM GMT 18 Mar 2014
Ukrainian soldier killed in Crimea during attack
Crimea's parliament has formally declared independence
Handover of Crimea to Ukraine by Kruschev 'mistake'
Putin says Russia will retaliate to sanctions
Nearly 97 per cent vote to break away from Ukraine
Ukraine parliament approves partial mobilisation of troops
US vice-president visiting Poland today
Latest

23.10 We're going to leave it there for the night. Please check ourUkraine page for the latest news.
22.40 A member of a pro-Russian militia group is reported to have been killed in the same gun battle
that claimed the life of the Ukrainian soldier earlier. There's some confusion over how the militia man
died and it seems that he may have been killed by his own side rather than shot by resisting
Ukrainian forces.
22.15 You're not the only one who thinks this feels like the bad old days of the Cold War. Here's an
old woman in the a pro-
Russian crowd in
Sevastopol, lovingly
holding an image of
Joseph Stalin.
21.50 Apparently, the
crisis in Ukraine is not
affecting the P5+1 nuclear
negotiations in Vienna,
where Russia and the US
are in theory on the same
as they try to make a deal
with Iran. This from
Reuters:
The March 18-19 meeting between Iran and the powers - the United States, Russia, China,
France, Britain and Germany - began a day after Washington and the European Union
imposed sanctions on Russian officials over Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region.
"I haven't seen any negative effect," Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton who coordinates the talks on behalf of the six nations, told reporters. "We continue
our work in a unified fashion."
21.20 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of Nato, has just arrived in Washington for
talks with the Obama administration
21.00 When trying to understand what's going on in Crimea, it's important to remember that the
peninsula was part of Russia until 1954, when the Soviet leadership transferred it to Ukraine.
Many Russians feel that handover was a historic mistake and that Putin's annexation is merely a
corrective measure. How widespread is that view? Well, even Mikhail Gorbachev, the man with
whom the West could famously do business, agrees.
He told Interfax:
Earlier Crimea was merged with Ukraine under Soviet laws, to be more exact by the
[Communist] party's laws, without asking the people, and now the people have decided to
correct that mistake. This should be welcomed instead of declaring sanctions.
Et tu, Gorby?

20.30 The White House
has released this
statement in response to
the killing of a Ukrainian
soldier in Crimea:
We are deeply
concerned by
these reports and
condemn any violence in
the Crimean region of
Ukraine. These reports
belie President Putins
claim that Russias military intervention in Crimea has calmed the security situation there. Diplomacy
remains the only acceptable means of resolving this crisis, and we are prepared to impose further
costs on Russia for its violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
19.36 In an interview with the BBC, Vladyslav Seleznyov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian defence
ministry, has pretty shockingly claimed that armed attackers used the commander of a Ukrainian
military unit in Simferopol as a live shield to gain access to the building.
19.22 The AP news agency has footage of the mystery gunmen on the roof of the military base in
Simferopol where a soldier was killed earlier.
18.22 The Ukrainian government's official website confirms that a junior officer has been killed in
Simferopol. His surname is given as Kakurin, no first name . A captain named Fedun was wounded
in the neck and the arm, the website says.
18.10 Our correspondent in Washington, Raf Sanchez, says John Kerry has said that any Russian
incursion beyond Crimea would "as egregious as any step I can think of that could be taken by a
country in today's world".
"Today is egregious enough," he said. "When you raise this nationalistic fervor which would in fact
infect in ways that could be very, very dangerous. All you have to do is go back and read in history
about the lead up to World War II and the passions that were released with that kind of nationalistic
fervor."
17.55 A Moscow-based correspondent for the Global Post tweets from outside Crimean parliament
HQ:
17.53 Ukraine's defence ministry has said its soldiers were "allowed to use arms" after suffering their
first casualty in Crimea since Russian and pro-Kremlin troops seized the peninsula nearly three
weeks ago.
"For their self defence and protection of their lives, Ukrainian servicemen... deployed in the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea are allowed to use arms," the Ukrainian defence ministry said in a
statement.
It appears the attack was not carried out by Russian soldiers, but by armed men sympathetic to
Moscow.
17.43 A Ukrainian military spokesman has said a serviceman has died and another was injured
when a base in Crimea was stormed by armed men. Ukraine soldiers have been told they are
"allowed to use arms" following the first death.
Cossacks attend a rally to support the
annexation of Ukraine's Crimea to Russia in the Russian southern city of Stavropol

17.07 Reuters also reports that mourners gathered at a cemetery outside Simferopol on Tuesday for
the burial of Reshat Ametov blame Putin for his death.
Ametov, who was in his 30s, disappeared on March 3 when three men in military jackets led him
away from the scene of a protest in the Crimean regional capital of Simferopol, witnesses said.
One friend at the burial, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals from pro-Russian agitators,
said the father of three had gone into town in order to enlist for the Ukrainian army amid escalating
tensions with Russia.
His body was found nearly two weeks later near the town of Belogorsk, 50 km (30 miles) east of
Simferopol, naked and showing signs of torture and beating.
This is the first time in 20 years that this has happened," said one mourner, who, like most others,
would not give his name. "I don't think this will be the end," added the man. "Putin arrives, and this
happens. Of course it's him. It's like there is a plan for some kind of civil war."
"The Russian army is here, people are scared and nobody wants to live staring down the barrel of a
gun."
17.02 This just in from Reuters, US vice president Joe Biden says the U.S. is considering rotating
American forces to the Baltic region as a step toward ensuring the collective defense of NATO allies
against Russian aggression.
Biden says that those forces could conduct ground and naval exercises, plus engage in training
missions.
16.48 This from Raf Sanchez in Washington:
"Bizarrely no one has asked about reports of the dead soldier or Ukrainian PM's
statement. Here's the White House so far.
The White House said "more is coming" in terms of sanctions against Russia but did not specify
what form they would take.
"We condemn Russia's moves to formally annex the Crimean region of Ukraine. Such action is a
threat to international peace and security and it is against international law. We would not recognise
this attempted annexation. As we have said, there are costs with such action," said Jay Carney, the
White House press secretary.
Mr Carney would not say whether the US would push for Russia to be expelled from the G8."
16.41 German chancellor Angela Merkel says that she and Barack Obama have agreed in a phone
call that Russia's acceptance of Crimea into Russia is an "unacceptable violation" of Ukraine's
territorial integrity.
16.37 Russians hold banners reading 'Love you Crimea!', 'Together for all time', 'Obama think about
Alaska!' and 'Believe Putin!' during a rally celebrating the joining of Crimea and Sevastopol with
Russia on Red Square in Moscow.
SERGEI ILNITSKY/ EPA

16.26 The US has condemned Putin's decision to make Crimea part of Russia and promised more
sanctions.
16.21 The European Union "will not recognise the annexation" of Crimea by Russia, the EU's top
officials, Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, said in a joint statement.
"The European Union does neither recognise the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea nor its
outcome. The European Union does not and will not recognise the annexation of Crimea and
Sevastopol to the Russian Federation," their statement said.
16.17 A Ukrainian military spokesman has said that an additional captain has ben injured. According
to Reuters Vladislav Seleznyov described the attackers, as "unknown forces, fully equipped and their
faces covered".
16.14 This just in from Reuters, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk has said that the conflict
in its Crimea peninsula, now under Russian control, had entered a military phase and accused
Russia of commiting a "war crime" by firing on Ukrainian servicemen.
"The conflict is moving from a political one to a military one because of Russian soldiers," he told a
meeting at Ukraine's defence ministry.
"Today, Russian soldiers began shooting at Ukrainian servicemen and this is a war crime without
any expiry under a statute of limitations."
Yatseniuk said he had ordered Ukraine's defence minister to call a meeting with his counterparts
from Britain, France, and Russia - signatories to a 1994 treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's borders to
"prevent an escalation of the conflict".
16.13
16.11 The Ukrainian defence ministry has confirmed that a soldier was killed in Crimea according to
AFP
16.07 Reuters is reporting that a Ukrainian serviceman has been killed on an attack on a Ukrainian
base in the Crimean capital of Simferopol according to Interfax news wire.
15.53 U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the crisis
over Ukraine's Crimea region, the White House said.
The two leaders spoke in an effort "to continue coordinating response to the situation in Ukraine,"
Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser, said in a post on Twitter
15.40
15.38 As I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of clapping in Putin's speech. The 47 minute address
was interrupted by clapping at least 30 times according to Reuters.
15.35 More from Raf Sanchez:
"Remember Mitt Romney? The 2012 Republican presidential contender has an article in
the Wall Street Journal attacking Obama for failing to act when the US had real choices across a
series of foreign policy challenges, instead waiting until America had nothing but bad options.
As he puts it: "When protests in Ukraine grew and violence ensued, it was surely evident to people in
the intelligence communityand to the White Housethat President Putin might try to take
advantage of the situation to capture Crimea, or more. That was the time to talk with our global allies
about punishments and sanctions, to secure their solidarity, and to communicate these to the
Russian president."
Given that Putin seems to happy to ignore sanctions and Western condemnation now it doesn't likely
he would have taken real notice a few days earlier.
15.29 Reuters has a report on the Ukrainian officer who was wounded. A Ukrainian officer was
wounded in a shooting at a military facility on the outskirts of the Crimean capital Simferopol, a
military spokesman said, but it was unclear who was behind the incident.
"An officer was wounded in the neck," said Vladislav Seleznyov, a Ukrainian military spokesman in
Crimea.
Many Ukrainian military facilities in Crimea have been under the control of Russian forces for several
weeks after Russian troops poured into the Black Sea peninsula ahead of a referendum at the
weekend which handed over control from Ukraine to Russia.
There was no immediate evidence that Russian soldiers were involved in the incident, witnesses
said.
15.17 This photo has emerged on Twitter- the caption translates as "brothers".
15.15 A Ukrainian officer has reportedly been wounded in a shooting at a military base in the
Crimean capital of Simferopol according to the Ukrainian military spokesman. According to Reuters
troops are storming a Ukrainian base.
15.12 Putin apparently concluded his speech on Red Square by shouting "Glory to Russia".
15.04 Putin has told a crowd in Moscow's Red Square that Crimea has "returned to home port".
14.55 "The steps taken by President Putin today to attempt to annex Crimea to Russia are in flagrant
breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe," Cameron
said in a statement.
"It is completely unacceptable for Russia to use force to change borders, on the basis of a sham
referendum held at the barrel of a Russian gun.
"President Putin should be in no doubt that Russia will face more serious consequences and I will
push European leaders to agree further EU measures when we meet on Thursday," he said.
14.51 Prime Minister David Cameron has said that Russia will face serious consequences for
"completely unacceptable" attempt to annex Crimea.
14.40 People react as they watch the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen in
central Sevastopol:
EPA

14.38 AFP is reporting that the Ukraine president has said Kiev will never recognise Crimea
annexation.
14.37 Here is William Hague addressing the House of Commons over Crimea:
14.36 The G7 meeting next week will take place on the margins of a nuclear security summit at The
Hague that U.S. President Barack Obama plans to attend.
"The meeting will focus on the situation in Ukraine and further steps that the G7 may take to respond
to developments and to support Ukraine," said White House National Security Council
spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.
14.35 Putin signing the treaty to incorporate Crimea in Russia:
14.32 A woman walks past a Russian military personnel carrier outside a Ukrainian military base in
Simferopol:
Getty Images
14.30 This from Raf Sanchez in Washington:
George W Bush famously said in 2001 that when he met Putin: "I was able to get a sense
of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."
His predecessor, Bill Clinton, yesterday outlined a less charitable view on the Russian leader:
He is highly intelligent, deeply, deeply patriotic in terms of Russia, but he sees it more in terms of the
greatness of the state and the country than what happens to ordinary Russians. I think hes got a
sort of fatalistic view of the misfortunes that befall ordinary people when larger things are at stake.
14.28 David Cameron defended the actions taken against Russia over Crimea:
14.26 An elderly man displays his medals to the press during an open air recruits point of the
National guard in the center of Kiev:
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
14.23 Putin's speech earlier criticised Western nations for their hypocrisy saying they had endorsed
Kosovo's independence from Serbia but now denied Crimeans the same right:
"You cannot call the same thing black today and white tomorrow," he declared to stormy applause,
saying that while he did not seek conflict with the West, Western partners had "crossed the line" over
Ukraine and behaved "irresponsibly".
14.09 French president Francois Hollande has condemned the decision by Putin to sign the Crimea
treaty. According to Reuters he said:
"I condemn this decision. France does not recognise either the results of the referendum ... or the
attachment of this Ukrainian region to Russia," Hollande said in a statement.
"The next European Council meeting on March 20-21 must provide the opportunity for a strong and
coordinated European response to the hurdle that has just been jumped."
14.04
13.59 The United States and its G7 allies will gather next week at The Hague to consider further
response to Russia's attempt to absorb Ukraine's Crimea region, the White House said
The meeting will take place on the margins of a nuclear security summit at The Hague that U.S.
President Barack Obama plans to attend.
13.54 Young Ukrainian volunteers wearing traditional flower crowns serve refreshments to passers
by at an improvised open air kitchen in Independence Square:
EPA
13.48 Thoughts from our Moscow correspondent Roland Oliphant:
Vladimir Putin cast the accession of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation as not only
the reversal of an artificial division akin to the reunification of Germany, but the moment an unjust
post-Cold War settlement began to be reversed.
But just where does that reversal stop?
Mr Putin's speech announcing the formal annexation of Crimea was largely a catalogue of wrongs
he feels has been inflicted on Russia - and indeed on the entire former Soviet Union - since the
collapse in 1991.
He did not make any explicit threat to intervene in Eastern Ukraine - indeed he insisted that he
neither wants nor needs a partition of Ukraine. But the determination to assert Russians' "legitimate
interests," and to overturn the status quo that has reigned for the past 23 years will leave
governments not only in Kiev, but capitals across the former Soviet Union, feeling somewhat
nervous.
13.43 US vice president Joe Biden denounced Russia's actions in Crimea as a "land grab":
"The world has seen through Russia's actions and has rejected the flawed logic,"
13.41 Britain's suspension of bilateral military co-operation includes cancelling a planned French-
Russian-UK-United States naval exercise and suspending a proposed Royal Navy ship visit to St
Petersburg.
Hague also said Britain would be pushing for the strongest possible package of further sanctions
against Russia that could be agreed among European leaders when the European Union council
meets later this week.
13.28 A bit more from Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk who said that Russia's intervention in
Crimea cannot be accepted.
"Russia's annexation of Crimea can't be accepted by the international community including Poland.
In one moment this changes the country's (Ukraine) borders and the geopolitical situation in this
region of the world," Tusk said at a joint news conference with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
13.24 Foreign Secretary William Hague has said that Britain will suspend military cooperation with
Russia. This means that Uk has suspended export licenses for military items to Russia.
13.20 Ukraine does not recognise a treaty signed in Moscow on Tuesday making its Crimean
peninsula a part of Russia, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
"The signing of the so-called agreement on Crimea joining the Russian Federation and the
corresponding address by the Russian president has nothing in common with law or democracy or
common sense," ministry spokesman Evhen Perebynis said on Twitter.
"Putin's address very clearly demonstrates just how real the threat is that Russia poses to
international security and international security," he said.
13.12 Just in from Reuters on US vice president Joe Biden. He says that Russia will see additional
sanctions from US and EU if it continues to annex Crimea.
13.04 Poland's Prime Minister says that the annexation of Crimea by Russia cannot be accepted by
the international community.
12.56 Reuters reports that Foreign Secretary William Hague says he regrets that Putin has chosen
the route to isolation by moving to incorporate Crimea into Russia. He adds that there is a grave
danger that a provocation elsewhere in Ukraine could be used as a pretext for further military
escalation.
12.52 A bit more from Russia's foreign ministry on the sanctions imposed by the EU:
"Attempts to speak to Russia in the language of force and threaten Russian citizens with sanctions
will lead nowhere," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The adoption of restrictive measures is not our choice; however, it is clear that the imposition of
sanctions against us will not go without an adequate response from the Russian side."
12.27 AFP is reporting that the Kremlin now considers Crimea part of Russia following the signing of
the treaty:
"The Republic of Crimea is considered to be part of Russia from the date of the signing of the treaty,"
the Kremlin said, minutes after President Vladimir Putin signed the treaty with Crimean leaders on
bringing the Russian-speaking region under Kremlin rule.
12.20 The agreement to make Crimea part of Russia still has to be endorsed by Russia's
Constitutional Court and ratified by both houses of parliament to take effect. However those steps
are considered mere formalities.
12.16 Staff watch a speech by Russian President Putin at a pizza restaurant in Simferopol
REUTERS

12.07 Reuters reports that Putin says Western attempts to frighten Russia with sanctions over its
takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region would be viewed as an act of aggression, and that Moscow
would retaliate.
12.02 Putin has signed a treaty making Crimea part of Russa according to Reuters.
11.55 This from our reporter in Moscow, Katerina Kravtsova:
The atmosphere in the Kremlin ahead of the speech was festive, with Russian officials seem not to
worry about EU-US sanctions against them and congratulating each other instead for results of the
Sunday referendum in Crimea.
"The [Sunday] referendum is of a vital and historical importance," Mr Putin said, adding that Russia
was intending to defend its national interests despite reaction of the Western countries.
Calling Crimea a historically Russian region and Sevastoplol the motherland of Russia's Black Sea
military fleet, he said the peninsula was given to Ukraine by a mistake like a "sack of potatoes."
Putin said Russia did not send its troops to Crimea, because the 25,000 Russian soldiers had
already been allocated there according to an international treaty.
"Crimea will remain both Russian and Ukrainian," he said but added it would never be given to the
current Kiev authorities and legally must be under Moscow rule.
"I ask the Federation Council members and Duma deputies to approve a law that would make
Crimea and Sevastopol parts of Russia," he said.
11.52 Putin asks parliament to adopt bill on making Crimea Russian territory. Crimea is officially
Russian- to Russia. It is still officially part of Ukraine for the rest of the international community.
11.49 Putin says that he will never seek to spark a confrontation with the west but will defend
Russian interests.
11.48 Putin thanks China for support on Ukraine. He has had several standing ovations during his
speech so far.
11.46
11.44 This from Damien McElroy:
In advance of President Putin's speech, the prime minister of Ukraine made his own
overtures to the Russian-leaning regions of the east not to follow Crimea's path.

In a key concession he ruled out an alliance with Nato, addressing one of the prime suspicions of
Kiev in the east.
Andriy Yatsenyuk also said Kiev was prepared to grant broad autonomy to the eastern regions.
Speaking in Russian he said that powers over education, policing and cultural affairs would be
transferred to locally elected decision makers.
11.42 Putin says that United States' foreign policy is dictated not by international law but by the "right
of the strong".
11.41 Putin: Ukraine and Russia "one nation". He adds "We will not be able to live without each
other."
11.39 Putin addressing a joint session of the Russian parliament
REUTERS

11.31 Putin condemns the "so-called" authorities in Ukraine saying they had stolen power in a coup
and had opened the way for "extremists" who would stop at nothing to determine the future of
Ukraine.
"Those who were behind recent events, they were ... preparing a coup d'etat, another one. They
were planning to seize power, stopping at nothing. Terror, murder, pogroms were used," he told a
joint session of parliament, calling them "nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites".
"It is primarily they how are deciding how Ukraine lives today. The so-called Ukrainian authorities
introduced a scandalous law on the revision of the language policy, which directly violated the rights
of the national minorities."
11.29 Putin: Crimea's move similar to Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from Soviet
Union.
11.28 Putin: "Relations with Ukraine and the brotherly Ukrainian people have always been, remain,
and will always be most important and crucial for us, without any exaggeration,"
11.27 "There was not one single military confrontation in Crimea- there were no victims."
11.24 Putin talking about US and the west, "They say we have violated international law. At least
they remember about international law- better late than never."
11.22 Putin says Crimea was and is 'inseparable' part of Russia
11.20 "In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part
of Russia. This commitment, based on truth and justice, was firm, was passed from generation to
generation."
11.17 Putin promises legal "rehabilitation" of Tatars over Stalin era deportations.
11.15 French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says that Russia has been suspended from the G-8
summit, but that Putin is still invited.
11.13 Putin says that the Crimean referendum was held in full accordance with democratic
procedures and international law.
11.11 Putin: "We are very respecful of all ethnic groups who live in Crimea". There will be three state
languages, Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tata"
11.09
11.07 There is lots of clapping in this joint session of parliament. Crimea is "part of our ancient
history" Putin says.
11.06 Putin calls the referendum of "vitally important historic significance". He says more than 8 2
per cent of voters took part, and the results were "more than convincing" with more than 96 per cent
of people voting to join Russia
11.05 Putin is now addressing Russia from Moscow. He gets a standing ovation.
11.03 Reuters reports that an aide to President Vladimir Putin scoffed at Western sanctions against
Russian officials over Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region, saying on Tuesday they
provoked only "irony and sarcasm."
"We are fed up with these sanctions, they provoke only feelings of irony and sarcasm," Yuri
Ushakov, Putin's senior foreign policy advisor, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
10.43 The latest from Roland Oliphant:
While Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow, Simferopol's Tatar community is preparing to bury a man
apparently murdered after taking part in a protest in the run-up to the referendum.
Reshat Ametov, a 39 year old construction worker, disappeared after protest on Simferopol's Lenin
square on March 3. Relatives have told Human Rights Watch that he was last seen being led away
from the square by men in camouflage uniforms.
His body was found near the town of Belogosk,30 kilometres east of Simferopol, on Sunday, and
identified by his relatives on Monday. Police said the death had been registered as violent. Local
media have reported that there were clear tape marks around his wrists.
He is expected to be buried at a Simferopol cemetery this afternoon.
10.35 Ukraine's new pro-Western leadership is not seeking membership of Nato according to Prime
Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.
10.32 Russia is on the defensive over sanctions imposed by the West. Russian Deputy Prime
Minister Dmitry Rogozin criticised France for saying it could consider cancelling a 1.2 billion euro
helicopter-carrier contract with Moscow if the Ukraine crisis continues.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius raised the possibility of scrapping the deal on Monday if
further sanctions are announced against Moscow over its seizure of control of Ukraine's Crimea
region.
"France is starting to undermine confidence in it as a reliable provider in the very sensitive sector of
military and technical cooperation," Rogozin, who oversees the military sector, said on Twitter.
10.13 Meanwhile on Monday the United States and the European Union on Monday announced
asset freezes and other sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian officials involved in the Crimean
crisis. President Barack Obama warned that more would come if Russia didn't stop interfering in
Ukraine.
10.03 Here is Joe Biden arriving for talks in Warsaw:
AFP/Getty Images

09.53 AP is reporting that Putin has approved a draft bill for the annexation of Crimea, one of a flurry
of steps to formally take over the Black Sea peninsula.
The treaty to annex Crimea has to be signed by leaders of Russia and Crimea, approved by the
Constitutional Court and then be ratified by the parliament.
Putin is set to address both houses of the parliament at 3 p.m. Moscow time (1100 GMT) in a
nationally televised speech where he is widely expected to stake Russia's claim on Crimea.
Meanwhile the State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, on Tuesday unanimously passed a
resolution condemning sanctions which targeted Russian officials including members of the
chamber.
Russian politicians dismissed the sanctions as insignificant and a badge of honour. The chamber
urged President Barack Obama to extend the sanctions to all the 353 deputies who had voted for the
resolution.
09.48 Armed soldiers without identifying insignia keep guard outside of a Ukrainian military base in
the town of Perevevalne near the Crimean city of Simferopol:
Spencer Platt/ Getty

09.40 Just in from our Moscow correspondent Roland Oliphant. He says it looks likely that Russian
president Vladimir Putin will announce the annexation of Crimea in just over an hour's time:
" There are organised street parties/demonstrations across Russia in support of Crimea already -
they've already started in Vladivostok - and it seems like Red Square is going to be like Edinburgh
on Hogmanay tonight.
There is a truce with Russian forces until Friday, but what happens after that is anyone's guess. Kiev
said last night that it would not withdraw its troops or hand over Crimea, but I still don't see a fight
happening.
Seems like some Ukrainians may slip away in civilian clothes, while others may just resign their
commissions so they can stay with their families here."
09.38 A man with two children hold the Russian flag on the coast of the bay of Sevastopol, Crimea:
Zurab Kurtsikidze/ EPA

09.35 AP reports that Joe Biden has arrived in Poland on a trip designed to show U.S. resolve
against Russia's intervention in neighboring Ukraine.
He planned to meet there with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Bronislaw
Komorowski. He'll also meet with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
09.30 Good morning and welcome to our live blog on the Ukraine crisis. Tory former foreign
secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has branded the international response to the crisis "pathetic".
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "This is the most dangerous crisis we have faced and
it's a crisis for Europe, not just for Ukraine.
"Already Russian troops have occupied the whole of Crimea, part of the territory of another country.
If the reports are correct, they are about to annexe that territory to Russia - first time since 1945 that
something of that kind has happened.
"All that the international community have done so far is implement visa sanctions and asset freezes
on 22/ 23 individuals.
"That is a pathetic response."
Sir Malcolm said President Putin's "real target" was to effectively control the former Soviet nations on
the federation's border.
"They won't be formally all incorporated in Russia, I'm not saying that, but he wants to effectively
make them Russian dependencies that have to do
(CNN) -- Russia showed no signs of backing down Monday even as world leaders threatened
sanctions and sternly rebuked the country for sending troops into Ukraine.
At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the unfolding crisis, Ukraine's envoy
asked for help, saying that Russia had used planes, boats and helicopters to flood the Ukrainian
peninsula of Crimea with 16,000 troops in the past week.
"So far, Ukrainian armed forces have exercised restraint and refrained from active resistance to the
aggression, but they are in full operational readiness," Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev said.
As diplomats at the meeting asked Russia to withdraw its troops and called for mediation to end the
crisis, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted his country's aims were preserving democracy,
protecting millions of Russians in Ukraine and stopping radical extremists.
He said ousted President Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's elected leader and has asked
Russia to send troops.
Ex-prime minister calls on world to act
How will the West respond to Ukraine?
NATO calls emergency meeting on Ukraine
Obama to Russia: 'There will be costs'
The Russian envoy read a letter from Yanukovych at the U.N. meeting, describing Ukraine as a
country "on the brink of civil war," plagued by "chaos and anarchy."
"People are being persecuted for language and political reasons," the letter said. "So in this regard, I
would call on the President of Russia, Mr. Putin, asking him to use the armed forces of the Russian
Federation to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and defending the people of
Ukraine."
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia's claims about the situation in Ukraine are untrue
and warned that sending military forces "could be devastating."
Yanukovych, she said, abandoned his post last month and was then voted out of office by Ukraine's
democratically elected parliament.
"Russian military action is not a human rights protection mission," Power said. "It is a violation of
international law."
Earlier Monday, global stocks slipped on fears things could get worse, and diplomats grasped for a
way to stop the situation from escalating.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the situation Europe's most serious crisis of the still-
young 21st century.
And U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States is examining a series of economic and
diplomatic steps to "isolate Russia," and he called on Congress to work with his administration on an
economic assistance package for Ukraine.
Tensions mount
In Crimea, more Russian troops arrived, surrounding military posts and other facilities and taking
effective control of the peninsula from Ukrainian authorities. What they planned to do next remained
unclear.
Analysts told CNN the apparently growing presence of Russian troops in Crimea means there's a
risk the tense standoff could escalate.
"There are lots of unintended consequences when you have armed men staring at each other in
places like you do in Crimea," said Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. "So I
think we all need to be very vigilant and worry about the worst case scenario, because it's no one's
interest ... to see all out civil war in this country in the heart of Europe of 50 million people."
Putin's moves into Ukraine come as the Russian leader struggles to deal with a political crisis in the
neighboring country that didn't unfold as his government hoped, according to Russia analyst Jill
Dougherty, formerly CNN's Moscow bureau chief.
"Putin has been trying to figure out what to do. So now he's taking these steps," Dougherty said.
"And I think that he probably thinks that they're carefully calibrated. But he really is playing with fire."
Tensions rise even higher in Ukraine
Ukraine PM: 'This is a red alert'
How will the West respond to Ukraine?
In one ominous incident, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman said the commander of Russia's
Black Sea fleet boarded a blocked Ukrainian warship and issued a threat.
"Swear allegiance to the new Crimean authorities, or surrender, or face an attack," he said,
according to the spokesman, Vladislav Seleznyov.
But a spokesman for the Russian Black Sea Fleet said there are no plans to storm Ukrainian military
units in Crimea, according to the state-run Interfax news agency.
And one Crimean official has reportedly described the situation there as quiet.
Despite the assurances, stocks fell around the world, with Russian stocks leading the way as
investors parsed the day's developments. Markets declined in Asia, Europe and the United States,
where the benchmark Dow Jones fell 153 points Monday.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that sanctions against Russia weren't just
possible, but likely.
Ukraine's shaky new government has mobilized troops and called up military reservists.
In Kiev, interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who has accused Moscow of declaring war,
vowed that his West-leaning government would not give up the region.
"Nobody will give Crimea away. ... There are no grounds for the use of force against civilians and
Ukrainians, and for the entry of the Russian military contingent," he said. "Russia never had any
grounds and never will."
A strange scene: Somewhat polite standoff in Crimea
If judged by the numbers, Ukraine's military loses war with Russia
Worried West
The tensions have worried the West, and Russia's G8 partners have condemned Moscow's military
buildup in Crimea. The world's seven major industrialized powers also suspended preparations for
the G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, in June.
Their finance ministers announced some economic support for cash-strapped Ukraine.
Putin defies U.S. warning about Ukraine
Lawmaker speaks of blood-soaked soil
"We are also committed to mobilize rapid technical assistance to support Ukraine in addressing its
macroeconomic, regulatory, and anti-corruption challenges," the finance ministers said in a written
statement.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, due in Kiev Tuesday, said several foreign powers are looking at
economic consequences if Russia does not withdraw its forces.
The United States has suspended upcoming trade and investment talks with Russia due to the
events in Ukraine, a spokesman for the U.S. trade representative said Monday.
Obama said Monday that Russia should consider international condemnation of its military moves in
Ukraine, adding that "over time, this will be a costly proposition" due to sanctions and isolation that
will result if the situation continues or worsens.
Kerry will offer Ukraine a "specific" package of U.S. economic aid when he travels to Kiev for talks
Tuesday, Obama said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said Putin had accepted a proposal to establish a "fact-
finding mission" to Ukraine, possibly under the leadership of the Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe, and to start a political dialogue.
How is the rest of the world reacting?
East vs. West
Ukraine, a nation of 45 million people sandwiched between Europe and Russia's southwestern
border, has been in chaos since Yanukovych was ousted on February 22 after bloody street protests
that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.
Anti-government demonstrations started in late November, when Yanukovych spurned a deal with
the EU, favoring closer ties with Moscow instead.
Ukraine has faced a deepening split, with those in the west generally supporting the interim
government and its European Union tilt, while many in the east prefer 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.
Ukrainian leaders and commentators have compared events in Crimea to what happened in Georgia
in 2008. Then, cross-border tensions with Russia exploded into a five-day conflict that saw Russian
tanks and troops pour into the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as
Georgian cities. Russia and Georgia each blamed the other for starting the conflict.
Moscow has defended its parliament's approval of Putin's use of military force to protect its citizens
in the Crimean Peninsula, an autonomous region of eastern Ukraine with strong loyalty to Russia.
But Ukraine's ambassador to the U.N. says Russia's reasoning for a possible invasion is fake.
"There is no evidence that the Russian ethnic population or Russian-speaking population is under
threat," Sergeyev told CNN.
The Russian parliament, or Duma, is also considering a law that would allow for the annexation of
Crimea, according to the parliament's website.
"Now they are trying to create new legal basis to prove annexation of the territory they're now
occupying," Sergeyev said.
Ukraine's military says an officer has been killed in an attack on a base in
Crimea, the first such death since pro-Russia forces took control in
February.
Ukraine has now authorised its troops to fire in self-defence.
The attack came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders
of Crimea signed a bill to absorb the peninsula into Russia.
Western powers condemned the treaty and a G7 and EU crisis meeting has been
called for next week in The Hague.
The Ukrainian crisis began in November last year after pro-Moscow President
Viktor Yanukovych abandoned an EU deal in favour of stronger ties with Russia.
He fled Ukraine on 22 February after protests in which more than 80 people were
killed.
'Military stage'
An eyewitness told the BBC that armed men arrived in two unmarked vehicles,
storming the base in Simferopol and firing automatic weapons.

Putin told Russia's parliament Crimea had "always been part of Russia"
The Ukrainian government said a junior officer who was on duty in a park inside
the base had been killed and another officer injured. A third serviceman had leg
and head injuries after being beaten with iron bars, it said.
The government said the commander of the unit was captured by men wearing
Russian uniforms.
Continue reading the main story
Crisis timeline
21 Nov 2013: President Viktor Yanukovych abandons an EU deal
Dec: Pro-EU protesters occupy Kiev city hall and Independence Square
20-21 Feb 2014: At least 88 people killed in Kiev clashes
22 Feb: Mr Yanukovych flees; parliament removes him and calls election
27-28 Feb: Pro-Russian gunmen seize key buildings in Crimea
6 Mar: Crimea's parliament votes to join Russia
16 Mar: Crimea voters choose to secede in disputed referendum
17 Mar: Crimean parliament declares independence and formally applies to join Russia
Ukraine crisis timeline
Defence ministry spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov told Reuters the attack was by
"unknown forces, fully equipped and their faces covered".
The Ukrainians had had their IDs, weapons and money confiscated, he said.
Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told an emergency government
meeting: "The conflict is shifting from a political to a military stage.
"Russian soldiers have started shooting at Ukrainian military servicemen and that
is a war crime."
Reports from the Crimean news agency, Kryminform, said a pro-Russia defence
force member had been shot dead.
Crimean police later said both Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces had been fired
on from a single location and that one Ukrainian was killed and one injured, and
one pro-Russian was killed and one injured.
None of the accounts can be independently confirmed.
The BBC's Mark Lowen, in Simferopol, says up until now only warning shots
have been fired amid a truce - but it appears the tension has boiled over and
there are fears that further clashes could follow.
'Glory to Russia'
Earlier, Mr Putin told Russia's parliament that Crimea had "always been part of
Russia" and in signing the treaty he was righting a "historical injustice".
After Mr Putin's speech a huge "We are together" rally was held in Moscow's Red Square
A sailor stands guard on Ukraine's Slavutych military ship in Sevastopol
Pro-Russia supporters gathered in Sevastopol in Crimea as President Putin's speech was relayed
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says an audience of loyalists rose to their
feet on several occasions, as Mr Putin accused Western countries of constantly
trying to push Russia into a corner and of being hypocrites.
But our correspondent says there were conciliatory words, too - Mr Putin
stressed Russia did not want to "divide" the rest of Ukraine.
The president later appeared before crowds in Moscow's Red Square, telling
them: "Crimea and Sevastopol are returning to... their home shores, to their
home port, to Russia!"
He shouted "Glory to Russia" as the crowds chanted "Putin!"
Continue reading the main story
At the scene
Patrick JacksonBBC News, Sevastopol
Nakhimov Square may not have been packed out for the broadcast of Vladimir Putin's speech but the
numbers were decent and the mood good-humoured. Small children cut arcs in the air with the Russian
tricolour as their parents' faces creased into smiles in the sunshine.
The striking thing was the relaxed mood. Security was minimal and nobody seemed bothered by the
media presence now. Presumably supporters of union felt they had got their result and could breathe
easy.
Afterwards families headed down to the nearby quays to photograph each other against the picturesque
backdrop of the bay, tricolours in hand. The waterfront, scene of many tragic chapters in this city of
sieges, is a happy place this afternoon.
Waking up in a different Crimea
The predominantly ethnic-Russian region of Crimea held a referendum on
Sunday in which it said 97% of voters had backed joining Russia.
Crimea's leaders declared independence on Monday and Russia acknowledged
it as a nation.
'Land grab'
Ukraine's interim President Olexander Turchynov said Russia's actions were
reminiscent of Nazi Germany's takeover of Austria and the Sudetenland.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said: "We do not recognise and never will
recognise the so-called independence or the so-called agreement on Crimea
joining the Russian Federation."
Western powers have declared the Crimea referendum illegal and roundly
condemned Tuesday's treaty.
US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking earlier in Poland, said Russia's
involvement in Crimea was "a brazen military incursion" and its annexation of the
territory was "nothing more than a land grab" by Moscow.
The White House said Monday's round of targeted sanctions on Ukrainian and
Russian officials by the US and EU would be expanded.
"This action - the results of the referendum and the attempt to annex a region of
Ukraine - will never be recognised by the United States and the international
community," spokesman Jay Carney said.

President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Ukrainian soldiers need to make a choice about joining
the Crimean forces or leaving the peninsula
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It is completely unacceptable for Russia
to use force to change borders on the basis of a sham referendum held at the
barrel of a Russian gun."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the referendum, the declaration of
independence and Crimea's "absorption into the Russian Federation" were
"against international law".
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said there was "no
justification" for Russia to continue on its "dangerous path".