Russia puts security stranglehold on Crimea as referendum nears
Crimea cancels flights as pro-Russian forces tighten their grip ahead of Sunday's referendum on whether to secede from Ukraine, whose interim prime minister is due to meet President Obama today.
Crimea cancels flights as pro-Russian forces tighten their grip ahead of Sunday's referendum on whether to secede from Ukraine, whose interim prime minister is due to meet President Obama today.
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Security is tightening around Ukraine's Crimean peninsula ahead of Sunday鈥檚 referendum on whether to join Russia or become an independent state.聽
All flights to and from Crimea鈥檚 main airport 鈥� except for those from Moscow 鈥� are suspended, reports Agence France-Presse, which says that pro-Kremlin militants took over air traffic control yesterday. CNN reports that flights from Kiev, Istanbul, and a few other unnamed cities have been suspended for the rest of the week.
The Crimean deputy prime minister confirmed the flight limitations today, telling Voice of Russia that the decision was made 鈥渂earing in mind the possible influx of provocateurs,鈥� and that 鈥渁ll limitations will be lifted after March 17.鈥�
Pro-Russian forces 鈥� 鈥渁 mixture of civilians wearing red armbands, Cossacks, and policemen loyal to the new pro-Russian regime鈥� 鈥� are also checking bags and passports of travelers on Crimean roads and train stations, according to a separate AFP report.
The snap referendum in Crimea has escalated tensions between Russia, which has indicated that it will accept a Crimean vote for annexation, and the Kiev government and its Western backers, who call the vote illegal and illegitimate, in what is being called the worst East-West conflict since the cold war.
Underscoring the geopolitical stakes, the interim prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, is in Washington today to appeal for more economic and diplomatic aid. He is due to meet President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and congressional leaders. He will address the United Nations tomorrow.
While US officials have been clear that they will not intervene militarily in the area, Mr. Yatsenyuk will likely push for military aid. Before he left Kiev, Yatsenyuk told the Ukrainian parliament that "he wanted the United States and Britain, as guarantors of a 1994 treaty that saw Ukraine give up its Soviet nuclear weapons,聽to intervene both diplomatically and militarily to fend off Russian 鈥榓ggression,鈥� 鈥� according to Reuters.
In Ukraine鈥檚 parliament yesterday, both the acting president and acting defense ministers issued warnings about Russian strength and depicted Ukraine as outmatched by its giant neighbor's forces, according to Reuters:
In Washington, lawmakers are focused on economic aid for Ukraine and penalties for Russia, rather than military support. Mr. Kerry has confirmed $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine, which the House has passed legislation to authorize. Yesterday, the House passed a nonbinding resolution that declares support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, The New York Times notes.
海角大神鈥檚 Moscow correspondent warns that 鈥渢he prospects for a diplomatic solution to what some are calling Europe鈥檚 worst crisis of the 21st century are growing dimmer by the day鈥�: