海角大神

Germany's聽Angela聽Merkel聽delivered a rebuke to President聽Vladimir Putin聽on Sunday, telling him that a planned聽Moscow-backed referendum on whether聽Crimea聽should join聽Russia聽was illegal and violated聽Ukraine's constitution.

Putin defended breakaway moves by聽pro-Russian聽leaders in聽Crimea, where Russian forces tightened their grip on the聽Ukrainian Black Sea聽peninsula by seizing another border post and a military airfield.

As thousands staged rival rallies in聽Crimea, street violence flared in Sevastopol, when聽pro-Russian聽activists and Cossacks attacked a group of Ukrainians.

Chinese President聽Xi Jinping聽called for all parties to remain calm and urged a political solution to the crisis, during telephone calls with U.S. President聽Barack Obama听补苍诲听惭别谤办别濒.

"The situation in聽Ukraine聽is extremely complex, and what is most urgent is for all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid an escalation in tensions,"聽China's foreign ministry on Monday cited Xi as telling Obama. "Political and diplomatic routes must be used to resolve the crisis," Xi added.

Russian forces' seizure of the region has been bloodless but tensions are mounting following the decision bypro-Russian聽groups there to make聽Crimea聽part of聽Russia.

In the latest armed action,聽pro-Russian聽forces wearing military uniforms bearing no designated markings sealed off a military airport in聽Crimea聽near the village of聽Saki, a Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokesman on the peninsula said.

The operation to seize聽Crimea聽began within days of聽Ukraine's聽pro-Russian聽President聽Viktor Yanukovich's flight from the country last month. Yanukovich was toppled after three months of demonstrations against a decision to spurn a free trade deal with the聽European Union聽for closer ties with聽Russia.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk will hold talks with President聽Barack Obama聽in Washington on Wednesday on how to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis, the聽White House聽said.

One of Obama's top national security officials said the聽United States聽would not recognise the annexation of Crimea聽by聽Russia聽if residents vote to leave聽Ukraine聽in a referendum next week.

"We won't recognise it, nor will most of the world," deputy national security adviser聽Tony Blinken聽said.

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Putin declared a week ago that聽Russia聽had the right to invade聽Ukraine聽to protect Russian citizens, and his parliament has voted to change the law to make it easier to annex territory inhabited by Russian speakers.

Speaking by telephone to聽Merkel聽and British Prime Minister聽David Cameron, Putin said steps taken by authorities in聽Crimea聽were "based on international law and aimed at guaranteeing the legitimate interests of the peninsula's population," the Kremlin said.

A聽German government聽statement, however, said the referendum was illegal: "Holding it violates the Ukrainian constitution and international law."

Merkel聽also regretted the lack of progress on forming an "international contact group" to seek a political solution to the聽Ukraine聽crisis and said this should be done urgently.

On Thursday,聽Merkel聽said if a contact group was not formed in the coming days and no progress was made in negotiations with聽Russia, the聽European Union聽could hit聽Russia聽with sanctions such as travel restrictions and asset freezes.

Merkel, whose country is heavily dependent on聽Russia聽oil and gas, has so far been more cautious than some other nations, urging Western partners to give Putin more time before punishing聽Moscow聽with tough economic sanctions.

This stance reflects German fears of the geopolitical consequences of an isolated聽Russia聽as much as it does concern about its business interests and energy ties.

In a round of telephone diplomacy on Sunday, the German chancellor also spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, agreeing that聽Ukraine's sovereignty must be preserved.

BORDER POST

Russians took over a Ukrainian border post on the western edge of聽Crimea聽at around 6 a.m. (0400) GMT, trapping about 15 personnel inside, a border guard spokesman said.

The spokesman,聽Oleh Slobodyan, said Russian forces now controlled 11 border guard posts across聽Crimea, a former Russian territory that is home to聽Russia's Black Sea聽fleet and has an ethnic Russian majority.

At a Ukrainian military base at Yevpatoriya on the coast of western聽Crimea聽there were reports that the Russian forces had issued an ultimatum to surrender or be stormed. It passed, as has happened on other occasions at bases across聽Crimea.

"They are putting psychological pressure on us. It is not the first ultimatum," Lieutenant Colonel聽Alexander Lomaka聽told Reuters by telephone, saying the Russian forces would not allow him out of the base.

"We have no fight with them, but we are not going to hand over our weapons to soldiers of the Russian Federation."

Dimtry Bolbanchyov, 50, who works as a cook on commercial boats, bicycles 13 kilometres across town to bring the besieged Ukrainians soldiers food.

"I am doing what I can to boost their morale.聽Ukraine聽has become so weak, we can only hope for help from outside," he said.

In Sevastopol, several hundred people held a meeting demanding that聽Crimea聽become part of聽Russia, chanting: "Moscow聽is our capital."

Across town at a monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, violence flared at a meeting to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth, when聽pro-Russian聽activists and Cossacks attacked a small group of Ukrainians guarding the event and the police had to intervene.

Footage from the event showed a group of men violently kicking one of the Ukrainians as he lay on the ground and a Cossack repeatedly hit him with a long black leather whip.

In Simferopol,聽Crimea's main city, pro- and anti-Russian groups held rival rallies.

Several hundred opponents of Russian-backed plans for聽Crimea聽to secede gathered, carrying blue and yellow balloons the colour of the Ukrainian flag. The crowd sang the national anthem, twice, and an Orthodox Priest led prayers and a hymn.

Vladimir Kirichenko, 58, an engineer, opposed the regional parliament's plans for a vote this month on Crimea聽joining聽Russia. "I don't call this a referendum. It asks two practically identical questions: Are you for the secession of聽Ukraine聽or are you for the secession of聽Ukraine? So why would I go and vote?"

SOVIET SONGS

Several thousand Russian supporters gathered in Lenin Square, clapping along to nostalgic Soviet era songs.

Alexander Liganov, 25 and jobless, said: "We have always been Russian, not Ukrainian. We support Putin."

At a rally in the eastern city of聽Donetsk, home to many Russian speakers, presidential candidate Vitaly Klitschko, a former boxing champion, said聽Ukraine聽should not be allowed to split apart amid bloodshed.

"The main task is to preserve the stability and independence of our country," he said.

The worst face-off with聽Moscow聽since the Cold War has left the West scrambling for a response, especially since the region's pro-Russia聽leadership declared聽Crimea聽part of聽Russia聽last week and announced a March 16 referendum to confirm it.

U.S. Secretary of State聽John Kerry, speaking to聽Russia's foreign minister for the fourth day in a row, told Sergei Lavrov聽on Saturday that聽Russia聽should exercise restraint.

A spokeswoman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in聽Europe聽said military monitors from the pan-Europe聽watchdog had on Saturday been prevented for the third time in as many days from entering Crimea.

Moscow聽denies that the Russian-speaking troops in聽Crimea聽are under its command, an assertion Washington dismisses as "Putin's fiction". Although they wear no insignia, the troops drive vehicles with Russian military plates.

A Reuters reporting team filmed a convoy of hundreds of Russian troops in about 50 trucks, accompanied by armoured vehicles and ambulances, which pulled into a military base north of Simferopol in broad daylight on Saturday.

Ukrainian troops are performing training exercises in their bases but there are no plans to send them to Crimea, Interfax news agency quoted acting Defence Minister聽Ihor Tenyukh聽as saying.聽Ukraine's military, with 130,000 troops, would be no match for聽Russia's. So far Kiev has held back from any action that might provoke a response.