Ukrainian leader accuses Moscow of trying to seize territory

LA Times World

Pro-Russian Cossacks rally outside the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol, Ukraine, on Feb. 28, 2014. (Sean Gallup / AFP/Getty Images / February 28, 2014)

By Sergei L. Loiko and Carol J. Williams

February 28, 2014, 3:22 p.m.

KIEV, Ukraine – Authorities closed airspace over Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and at least five Russian transport planes landed at a military air strip near the regional capital late Friday, as the country’s acting president accused Moscow of trying to seize territory.

A duty officer at the Simferopol airport said that all commercial takeoffs and landings had been canceled from the Crimean regional capital’s airport for at least 24 hours. In Kiev, Oxana Ozhigova, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian capital’s Borispol airport, confirmed that flights to and from Simferopol had been suspended.
Ukrainian news media reported disruptions “by unknown persons” of telephone and Internet communications, and said that the Krym regional television station had been surrounded by gunmen.

The ominous military and security moves appeared intended to demonstrate the Kremlin’s determination to secure its leased port at Sevastopol, from which Russian naval might is projected to the world. Crimea hosts the Russian Black Sea fleet and has the largest population of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said Russia was trying to seize territory in Crimea and “provoke us to a military conflict.”
Turchynov's representative in Crimea, Sergei Kunitsin, later said in televised remarks that 13 Russian jumbo jets landed at Gvardeyskoye, near Simferopol, carrying an estimated 2,000 Russian paratroopers.

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Obama Warns Russia Against Crimea Invasion

Ukraine claims 2,000 troops are already on the ground in the region, after armed forces seize two airports.

12:45am UK, Saturday 01 March 2014

Video: Obama's Warning To Russia Over Ukraine

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Russia is accused of staging an "armed invasion" in the east of the country of Ukraine. Alex Rossi reports from Crimea.

Video: Russia Accused Of 'Armed Invasion'

US President Barack Obama has warned Moscow that any military intervention in Ukraine would be "deeply destabilising", as Kiev claims Russian troops have invaded.

He said: "The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine.
"We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine."
US officials say Mr Obama may cancel plans to attend the G8 summit in June if it is proved that Russia has sent troops into the Crimea.

Men claiming to be members of a local militia at a checkpoint

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to host the economic meeting in Sochi, the site of the recent Winter Olympics.
The administration official said the US was in discussions about the summit with European partners, adding that it was difficult to see how leaders would attend if Russia had forces in Crimea.
The US has also warned that discussions on deepening trade ties with Moscow may be halted in response to any Russian aggression.

Armed men outside Simferopol airport

Mr Obama's warnings come after Ukraine's Acting President appealed to Russia to stop "naked aggression" in the Crimean peninsula amid claims from Kiev 2,000 Russian troops have invaded.
Oleksandr Turchynov said: "I personally appeal to President Putin to immediately stop military provocation and to withdraw from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ... It's a naked aggression against Ukraine."

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Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin : " Any movements of Russian military within Crimea are in line with the existing arrangements with Ukraine." Also, the prime minister of Crimea appeals for assistance from Putin.

Interesting how  the  US is  up in  arms in defense of the  People of Ukraine?

Warning Russia  from  exercising it's right to defend it's territory and fleet  in accordance  with agreements  held  with  Ukraine  before  the  uprising.

Yet not a  word is  uttered in defense of  the  people  of  Bahrain who are   abused and  oppressed. 

So  it is  alright  to  look the other  way when  people  are  being  killed as  long as   your  Fifth Fleet is  not  threatened?

It's alright  to  condone the brutality these people are  being   subjected  to by a regime kept in place for the  strategic  services  it  renders?

But it is   not  alright  to  come  to the  aid  of Pro Russian and Russian Nationals in  Crimea  who have  requested  assistance?

And it is  not  acceptable  to  protect a military  asset when that  right has  been  previously  stipulated and agreed  upon  by the then  legitimate government of  Ukraine? 

A legal  contract according to Russia, leaving  in question  the fact that  there is  no permanent government in  the  Ukraine  as  of  yet.  Until said  time   do they  not have a  right  to  protect  their  interests? 

Given the  turmoil and  violent nature  of the  attacks  taking  place.  Not to  mention the lack of control the  interim  government  seems  to  have  over  the  people  storming government  buildings and  brandishing  weapons.  Actions which  are condemned  by the  people  of  Crimea as  has  been  reported  and  demonstrated  quite a  few times  since  the  upheaval began.

The  US does  whatever  it  deems  fit  to  protect  their assets  no matter  what. 

A  bit  hypocritical is it  not ?

~Desert Rose~

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Vitaly Churkin
Author  : The Presidential Press and Information Office
Wikipedia.org
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
Attribution: Kremlin.ru
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Russia interested in Ukraine stability, acts within existing agreements – UN envoy

Published time: February 28, 2014 22:45
Edited time: March 01, 2014 03:13

Russia is interested in the stability and prosperity of Ukraine more than anyone and is acting within existing agreements, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said after a private meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the country.

Any movements of Russian military within Crimea are in line with the existing arrangements with Ukraine on the deployment of military assets in the former Soviet republic, Churkin added, addressing media speculation on military deployments.
“We have an arrangement with Ukraine about the stationing of the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol and we are acting within the framework of that agreement,” Churkin told reporters.
Earlier the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s press service dismissed reports that Russian troops were blocking an airport in Crimea. Media speculated heavily on the issue after Crimean self-defense squads in military uniforms raided the international airport in the republic’s capital, Simferopol on Friday night.

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Movement of Russian armored vehicles in Crimea fully complies with agreements - Foreign Ministry

Published time: February 28, 2014 13:28
Edited time: February 28, 2014 15:29

 

Russian military vessels are anchored at a navy base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, February 27, 2014 (Reuters)

The movements of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s armored vehicles in Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea are in full compliance with Russian-Ukrainian agreements, Moscow has said.
Russia has passed a note regarding the maneuvers to a minister-counselor at Ukraine’s embassy in Moscow, Ruslan Nimchinsky, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.
On Thursday, the Russian charge d'affaires in Kiev, Andrey Vorobyev, was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and handed two diplomatic notes - one on the latest events in Ukraine and one asking Russia’s Black Sea fleet units to abstain from movements outside their deployment sites.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry has passed an reply to the Ukrainian side on the movement of the Black Sea Fleet armored vehicles in Crimea, which is caused by the necessity to provide security for the Black Sea fleet’s naval deployment areas on Ukrainian territory, which happens in full accordance with basic Russian-Ukrainian agreements on the Black Sea Fleet,” a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website reads.

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• MySA

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Photo By Darko Vojinovic/AP

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An unidentified armed man patrols in front of the airport in Simferopol, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Russian troops took control of the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea, Ukraine's interior minister charged Friday, as the country asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict. Russian state media said Russian forces in Crimea denied involvement. No violence was reported at the civilian airport in Crimea's capital of Simferopol or at the military airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, also part of Crimea. At the Simferopol airport, a man claiming to speak for the camouflage-clad forces patrolling the airport described them as Crimean militiamen.

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — The pro-Russian prime minister of Ukraine's restive Crimea claimed control of all military, police and other security services in the region Saturday and appealed to Russia's president for help in keeping peace there.
In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Sergei Aksenov declared that the armed forces, the police, the national security service and border guards will answer only to his orders. He said any commanders who don't agree should leave their posts.
As armed men described as Russian troops took control of key airports and a communications center in Crimea on Friday, Ukraine accused Russia of a "military invasion and occupation" — a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis, and raised fears that Moscow is moving to annex a strategic peninsula where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk opened a cabinet meeting by calling on Russia not to provoke discord in Crimea.
"We call on the government and authorities of Russia to recall their forces, and to return them to their stations," Yatsenyuk was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. "Russian partners, stop provoking civil and military resistance in Ukraine

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Ukraine: Russia Angry as Another Soviet Hero Statue Toppled. Meanwhile....Movements of Russian troops have been reported across the Crimean peninsula, but Russia says it won't intervene in Ukraine

Ukraine: Russia Angry as Another Soviet Hero Statue Toppled

• By Dominic Gover , February 25, 2014 18:57 PM GMT

Russia angry as statue of Mikhail Kutuzov is taken down during revolution in UkraineYouTube

Russian national pride has taken another blow after Ukrainians got in the revolutionary spirit by getting rid of a bust of a famous Russian military commander.
Residents in the western region of Lvov removed a large bust of field marshall Mikhail Kutuzov from its plinth.
This act of revolutionary defiance by citizens of the city of Brody went down badly among Russians on Twitter, who branded the act an "outrage." Their anger has been stoked by a spate of topplings of statues of Lenin across Ukraine.
Following the ousting from power of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich, citizens have brought down symbols of the country's past relationship with Russia.
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Ukraine Crisis: Russian Troops Moving across Crimea

• By Umberto Bacchi , February 25, 2014 19:06 PM GMT

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Movements of Russian troops have been reported across the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine as fears spread that the Kremlin might launch a military operation, which could lead to a breakup of its southern neighbour.
Russian armoured personnel carriers were briefly stationed in central Nakhimov Square in Sevastopol on the Crimean coast before heading to the Moscow House building, Interfax news agency reported.
"There have been movements of certain vehicles as part of anti-terrorist measures to protect the Russian facilities," a source close to senior officials in Russia's Black Sea Fleet told local newspaper ForPost.
A video uploaded on YouTube purportedly showed Russian army trucks carrying military personnel driving into the city of Yalta.
Earlier, it was reported that the large landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov and several other military vessels were heading to Sevastopol, where Russia has a large naval base of some 25,000 troops.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov repeated claims that Moscow was against interfering in Ukrainian affairs. Its "policy of non-intervention" would continue, he said.
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Russia says it won't intervene in Ukraine

 February 25, 2014 03:14 PMBy Maria Antonova




Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovich at the Kremlin in Moscow, December 17, 2013. REUTERS/Alexander Nemenov/Pool

MOSCOW: Moscow pledged Tuesday it would not intervene in the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine but said the country should not be forced to choose between Russia and the West.
"We confirmed our principled position of non-intervention in Ukraine's internal affairs and expect that everyone follows similar logic," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We are interested in Ukraine being part of the European family, in all senses of the word," he said after talks with Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn.
But he added: "We agree that... it is dangerous and counterproductive to force Ukraine into a choice -- either you are with us or against us."
His remarks signalled a possible softening of Moscow's stance after harsh statements both by Lavrov's own ministry and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday.
Medvedev had accused Ukraine's new leadership of waging an "armed mutiny" and said there was noone for Moscow to communicate with in Kiev.
President Vladimir Putin has remained silent on the regime change in the former Soviet republic and the situation in Ukraine was not mentioned when Russian state channels interviewed him in Sochi on Tuesday.
Asselborn struck a conciliatory tone, saying it was necessary to maintain historic ties between Russia and Ukraine.
He also said Ukraine's stability could only be a product of a broad dialogue that must include Russia, both on political reforms and financial aid.

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