Pro-Russian forces capture Ukrainian naval base in Crimea without firing a shot
Ukrainian commanders appeared resigned to the seizure of their base, but Ukraine's government vowed not to pull its troops from Crimea, which voted Sunday to join Russia.
Ukrainian commanders appeared resigned to the seizure of their base, but Ukraine's government vowed not to pull its troops from Crimea, which voted Sunday to join Russia.
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Pro-Russian forces overran Ukraine's naval headquarters in Crimea today, ratcheting up tensions in Ukraine a day after Russian and Crimean leaders signed a treaty paving the way toward annexation.聽
Russian troops and unarmed militiamen聽stormed the naval headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol, according to Reuters, and raised the Russian flag. No shots were reported fired, and unarmed Ukrainian servicemen were seen leaving the building in civilian clothing an hour later.
鈥淭his morning they stormed the compound. They cut the gates open, but I heard no shooting,鈥� Ukrainian Navy Cpt. Oleksander Balanyuk told Reuters. "This thing should have been solved politically. Now all I can do is stand here at the gate. There is nothing else I can do.鈥�
Ukraine's government in Kiev, which refuses to recognize Crimea's annexation, took a firmer tone, vowing today not to withdraw its military from Crimea, according to The Washington Post.
The naval base seizure follows the deaths of two soldiers yesterday, the first casualties in Crimea since Russian forces flooded the territory three weeks ago. A Ukrainian soldier and a Russian soldier were killed when pro-Russian forces took over another Ukrainian military base near Simferopol, Crimea, the Post reports.
In response, the government in Kiev authorized its soldiers in Crimea to use live fire in self-defense. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyul said the crisis had moved 鈥渇rom a political to a military phase.鈥�
Sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union have not deterred Russia鈥檚 moves to lay claim to Crimea, which was gifted to Ukraine in 1954 by Soviet rulers in Moscow. Australia today also authorized sanctions on 12 Russian and Ukrainians, according to the Guardian.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pushed back against sanctions yesterday, threatening 鈥渃onsequences鈥� over them in a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry, according to the BBC.
An editorial today by the Kremlin mouthpiece RT, titled 鈥淪olving the Crisis in Ukraine,鈥� 聽said that 鈥渞hetoric and punitive measures and threats of further sanctions against Russia [...] will merely harden Russia鈥檚 resolve, forcing Moscow to take counter-measures which could be devastating to an already fragile European and global economy.鈥� The editorial said the priority should be to hold talks on how to rebuild Ukraine鈥檚 economy and reframe its constitution, while describing Ukraine's interim government as "fascists."聽
A key concern for Moscow is ensuring that minorities (or Russians) were protected:
Statements like those have raised concerns that Russia could move to annex territory in eastern Ukraine, but President Vladimir Putin pledged that would not be the case in his speech yesterday accepting the annexation of Ukraine, according to 海角大神:
The Monitor鈥檚 correspondent in Moscow writes that the effects of Western pressure against Russia may not be immediate but will likely have a lasting effect:聽