Putin calls an end to military exercises in Russia… but shows no sign of removing troops from Crimea in face of economic sanctions

Ukraine admits pro-Russian troops have seized Crimean military bases

16,000 Russian troops have been deployed to the region, Kiev's UN Ambassador told an emergency meeting



Russia claims ousted Ukrainian president asked the country to send troops



Moscow's UN envoy says Viktor Yanukovych wanted citizens 'protected'



Russian troops also seized border posts and a key ferry terminal at Kerch

Kremlin aide suggests Russia may refuse to pay loans if US issues sanctions



Ukrainian acting Prime Minister says his nation will 'never' give up Crimea

Vladimir Putin has ordered thousands of Russian troops participating in military exercises near Ukraine's border to return to their base today.

But the president showed no signs of loosening the stranglehold on the Crimean peninsula, openly defying the threat of diplomatic and economic sanctions from world leaders.

It came as U.S. Secretary of state Kerry travelled to Kiev to meet the new Ukrainian leadership which has accused Moscow of military invasion.



The Kremlin, which does not recognise the new Ukrainian leadership, insists it made the move to protect millions of Russians living in the region, with Moscow's UN envoy adding that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych had asked the country to send troops across the border.



Today, pro-Russian troops who had taken control of the Belbek air in the Crimea region, firing warning shots into the air as around 300 Ukrainian soldiers, who previously manned the airfield, demanded their jobs back.



SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS

Putin, centre, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, arrive at a military exercise in St Petersburg in what some may claim is a provocative move given current developments in Crimea

Russian soldiers run towards a make-shift village, where one building appears to be on fire Helicopters - some firing their weapons - approach the military training ground It came amid fears that the Kremlin might carry out more land grabs in pro-Russian eastern Ukraine.

Russia faced demands from almost all council members to pull its troops out of Crimea and got no support for its military action from close ally China.

'With the exception of one member of the Security Council - the Russian Federation - we have heard overwhelming support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and for peaceful dialogue,' U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said.

During the heated meeting, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin strongly defended his government's actions as 'fully appropriate and legitimate' to defend the human rights of the Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine, which he claimed is under threat of oppression from the north and west after violent protests swept in a new government.

Video footage taken today shows a Mil Mi-8 helicopter, equipped with missile launchers approaching the base A missile is fired into the air by one of several rocket launchers stationed in the area Ukrainian commanders claimed yesterday they are being blackmailed into defecting to the Russian side. One said he had been given an ultimatum to surrender his garrison or face a ‘storm’ – with threats made against the lives of his family and his subordinates. Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Delyatitsky, who leads a marine battalion, said he had been told by telephone to give in and make an oath of allegiance to the pro-Russian ‘puppet’ regime in Crimea. His is one of the few Crimean unit not to be taken over by pro-Russian troops. Ukrainian officials said Aleksander Vitkoset, the head of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, had set the deadline.

However the Russian ministry of defence said the idea of an ultimatum was ‘complete nonsense’. It accused Ukraine of trying to spark war by making the allegations, adding: ‘Efforts to make us clash won’t work.’ No shots have been fired in the conflict but an estimated 16,000 Russian soldiers are said to have been deployed to the Crimea. Troops circle the temporary village and continue on their training mission while the president watched on The president seemed to enjoy watching the training exercise - and used binoculars to get a closer look Twice that number are on standby near the border and 25,000 Russians are stationed at naval bases that Moscow leases in the Crimean ports of Sevastopol and Feodosia. Support for the ‘occupation’ appears to be growing among Russians, who make up a large share of the population in the peninsula and elsewhere in eastern Ukraine. Two thousand people waving Russian flags gathered at a government building in Donetsk to protest at the appointment of a governor who backs the Ukrainian temporary government in Kiev. Dozens later occupied the first floor of the building, which is the home town of ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.

Putin and Shoigu speak with military officials as the training exercise takes place in front of them The president looks up at snowy conditions on arrival today. It has been yet another dramatic day in Crimea - with unidentified troops continuing to amass in the region Putin meets with a senior officer. The exercise took place at Kirillovsky firing ground



Reports in Moscow said last night that ‘Putin tourists’, who are trained in fomenting dissent and provoking clashes with the authorities, were being sent to major cities. On the ground in Perevalnoye, half way between the Crimean capital of Simferopol and the Black Sea, hundreds of Russian troops in trucks and armoured vehicles – without national insignia on their uniforms – surrounded two military compounds, effectively imprisoning the Ukrainian garrisons. Russian troops also seized border posts and the key ferry terminal of Kerch, at the eastern end of Crimea and 12 miles by sea from Russia. Kiev fears Moscow will use the sea crossing to send in even more troops. Russian forces in Crimea have reportedly ordered the crew of the Ukrainian anti-submarine ship 'Ternopil' (pictured) to surrender A Russian Black Sea Navy Grisha V type corvette 'Suzdalets' is seen off the coast of Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine yesterday Russian Navy crew members on a patrol boat guard the Russian military ships of the Black Sea Fleet with destroyers 'Smetlivyy' (back lef) and 'Kerch' (back right) in Sevastopol, Crimea yesterday Ukrainian seamen stand guard on the Ukrainian navy ship Slavutich at harbor of Sevastopol following claims of a Russian ultimatum or surrender - which was later proved to be false Ukraine’s newly appointed prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk has accused Russia of effectively declaring war on his country and all eyes were last night on the fledgling political leadership to see whether it will sanction a surrender. Mr Yatsenyuk has appealed for outside help and insists Crimea remains part of his country. But he admits Ukraine cannot resist Russia’s military intervention. Speaking after a meeting in Geneva with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mr Lavrov called on Ukraine to return to the February 21 agreement signed by Mr Yanukovych before protesters forced him out. Russian forces have today claimed Ukraine is attempting to spark war by making such claims An armed man in military uniform, believed to be a Russian soldier, looks from his military vehicle A soldier blocks the Ukrainian naval base in the village of Novoozerne, some 91 km west of Crimean capital A pro-Russian soldier stands by a billboard with a map of Crimea and bearing the words 'Autonomous Republic of Crimea' in the port of Kerch, Ukraine. A Russian commander has reportedly told Ukrainian forces in the region to stand down or face attack Hundreds of unidentified gunmen arrived at a Crimean base in a 13-strong convoy of Russian vehicles Ukrainian soldiers (back) speak with armed men in military uniform, believed to be Russian soldiers in the village of Perevalnoye Mr Lavrov did nothing to calm fears that Russian forces might press beyond Crimea and into further parts of Ukraine. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates Kiev has fewer than 130,000 troops under arms, with few planes fit to fly and a lone submarine. Russia, by contrast, has spent heavily on updating its military equipment. There have been no reports, however, of any hostilities toward Russian-speaking in Ukraine during the country's four months of political upheaval. Scores of military personnel walk outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit in the village of Perevalnoye Love in the face of war: A woman kisses a Ukrainian serviceman through the gate in the village of Lyubimovka, some 50 miles southwest of Simferopol, Crimea's capital A woman kisses a Ukrainian serviceman through the fence in Lyubimovka. Russia has defended the deadline as a measure to protect both Russians and Ukrainians in Crimea The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement saying that Moscow believes Ukraine must honor its February 21 agreement to form a new national unity government. Russia will face diplomatic, political, and economic pressure in response to its violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, David Cameron has said. The Prime Minister, who chaired a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the crisis, said that the world needed to send a 'clear message' to Moscow. Speaking in Downing Street, he said: 'What we want to see is a de-escalation rather than a continuation down the path that the Russian government has taken, violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another country. 'So we shall have to bring to bear diplomatic, political, economic and other pressures in order to make this point. 'That is the very clear message the whole world needs to send to the Russian government.' 'PUTIN IS PLAYING CHICKEN WITH THE WEST' - DIPLOMACY EXPERT

Carina O’Reilly, lecturer in International Relations at Anglia Ruskin University and former Deputy Editor of Jane’s Intelligence Review, said: 'What we’re seeing in Crimea right now is Vladimir Putin playing chicken with the West. He’s gambling that the EU and the U.S. have no stomach for conflict, not even a trade war. 'Russia doesn’t want a serious war and doesn’t think it’ll get one. It is stamping its ownership on its sphere of influence, looking to leave the new Kiev government crippled. 'It wants to leave ordinary Ukrainians with a stark choice: an untested government that’s thrown in its lot with a West which can’t send anything more useful than fact-finding delegations, or a powerful and dominant Russia. 'The EU also now faces a stark choice. If Russia can be neither forced nor persuaded out of the Crimea, and Ukraine is left physically divided and politically paralysed, the EU’s credibility will be shot - and if Germany prevents the U.S. from taking stronger action, diplomatically or otherwise, its credibility with the US will be deeply damaged as well. 'This is a crisis for more than just Ukraine. It will shape the West’s relationship with Russia for years to come.' Relatives of Ukrainian servicemen. The sign reads: 'No to war!' A Ukrainian woman speaks with an armed man in military uniform, believed to be a Russian soldier, part of a unit blocking the Ukrainian navy base in Novoozerniy in Crimea Ukrainian soldiers bolster defensive barricades against possible Russian aggression at Feodosija marine base, in Crimea Earlier today pro-Russian troops took over a ferry terminal on the easternmost tip of Crimea close to Russia today, exacerbating fears that Moscow is planning to bring even more troops into this strategic Black Sea region. The seizure of the terminal in the Ukrainian city of Kerch about 12 miles by boat to Russia, comes as the West try to figure out ways to halt and reverse the Russian incursion. Early on Monday, soldiers were operating the terminal, which serves as a common departure point for many Russian-bound ships.

The men refused to identify themselves, but they spoke Russian and the vehicles transporting them had Russian license plates. Today, Ukraine called for 'real steps' of assistance to be taken by world leaders. A Ukrainian Air Force military aircraft flies above a Ukrainian navy base which was blocked by soldiers believed to be from Russia, in Novoozerniy village near of Feodosia, Crimea, today More military personnel surround a military base in the Crimea region Troops that Ukraine says are Russian soldiers have occupied airports in Crimea, smashed equipment at an air base and besieged a Ukrainian infantry base in this peninsula.

Hundreds of unidentified gunmen who arrived in a 13-strong convoy of Russian vehicles surrounded a Crimean infantry base yesterday a s Ukraine and Russia inched closer towards all-out war. Meanwhile Ukraine’s acting prime minister, Arseniy Yatseniuk, said today his country would never give up Crimea. Russian forces have taken control of the Black Sea peninsula, which is part of Ukraine, but Yatseniuk told reporters: 'No one will give up Crimea to anyone.' 'Any attempt of Russia to grab Crime will have no success at all. Give us some time,' he said at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Wiliam Hague, who is visiting Kiev.

An armed man stands outside the cabinet of ministers building in Simferopol today. Russia has started a build-up of armoured vehicles on the Russian side of a narrow stretch of water between Russia and the Ukrainian region of Crimea An armed man, believed to be a Russian serviceman, in the village of Perevalnoye Similarity? A heavily-armed soldier displaying no identifying insignia maintains watch in a street in Simferopol. Right, a Russian soldier stands guard at a checkpoint during the 2008 war with Georgia

He called on the West for political and economic support and said Crimea remained part of his country - but conceded there were 'for today, no military options on the table'. In a series of tense photographs, outnumbered troops could be seen on the inside of the military unit in the village of Perevalne, outside Simferopol, guarding the entrance with a tank. The scenes come as Russian forces moved deeper into Crimea and amassed on the Ukrainian border, while Ukrainian leaders mobilised all its forces and placed them in a state of combat-readiness. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russian troops that have streamed into Ukraine are protecting his country's citizens living there. Lavrov said on Monday that it's necessary to use Russian troops in Ukraine 'until the normalisation of the political situation'.

Yesterday NATO warned Russia military action against Ukraine was against international law and expressed grave concern over the Russian parliament's authorisation of the use of force. Yatseniuk earlier said 'we are on the brink of disaster' while the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin were said to amount to a declaration of war.

'This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country,' he added. Acting President Oleksander Turchinov said : 'Any attempt to attack military installations is in fact direct military aggression against our country and the Russian military and the Russian leadership will be held responsible.' Military personnel, believed to be Russian servicemen, walk outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit in the village of Perevalnoye outside Simferopol today Russia claims its troops have not 'deployed abroad' Kiev called for 'solidarity' from foreign countries and highlighted a 1994 treaty where the U.S. and Britain guaranteed Ukrainian borders. British Foreign Secretary William Hague warned Russia today of 'consequences and costs'

but could not give any details of what that might mean in practice. 'It is not an acceptable way to behave and there will be consequences and costs,' Hague said in Kiev, two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin got the green light to send Russian troops to Ukraine from parliament. Yesterday, Ukraine's newly appointed Navy chief defected and pledged his allegiance to the Crimean region. Britain announced its ministers and officials will boycott the Paralympic games in Sochi, Russia.

President Vladimir Putin defended Russia's action against 'ultranationalist forces' - and told U.S. President Barack Obama he reserved the right to take any further military action. Soldiers who were among several hundred that took up positions around a Ukrainian military base walk towards their parked vehicles on Sunday A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard at the territory as unidentified troops gather outside Russia's internet monitoring agency has blocked 13 web pages linked to the Ukraine protest movement which helped oust the country's Russia-leaning president last week. Roskomnadzor said in a statement published online that it had been ordered by the general prosecutor's office to shut down the pages on Russia's leading social media website, VKontakte. The agency said the groups 'propagandised the activity of Ukrainian nationalist groups', and accused them of encouraging 'terrorist activity' and 'participation in unsanctioned mass actions'. The largest pro-demonstration group, which has more than 500,000 members, was not accessible to users on Russian territory today. While much of Russian media is state-controlled, the internet has so far remained largely free from censorship and has provided an active forum for anti-government criticism.

On Sunday morning Russian troops in 12 vehicles moved across Crimea from Sevastopol - their Black Sea base - to regional capital Simferopol, in a significant and ominous advance. Hundreds of unidentified gunmen arrived in a convoy outside Ukraine's infantry base in Privolnoye in its Crimea region. The convoy included at least 13 troop vehicles each containing 30 soldiers and four armoured vehicles with mounted machine guns. The vehicles - which have Russian licence plates - have surrounded the base and are blocking Ukrainian soldiers from entering or leaving it.



A woman sweeps away broken glass as two unidentified armed men guard the entrance to the local government building in downtown Simferopol, Ukraine, on Sunday Ukrainian soldiers, with clips in their weapons, positioned a tank at the gate.

Russian forces are seeking to disarm Ukrainian military facilities on the peninsula without a fight.

They have taken weapons from a radar base and naval training facility in Ukraine's Crimea region and urged personnel to side with the peninsula's 'legitimate' leaders, Interfax news agency said on Sunday. It quoted a Ukrainian Defence Ministry source as saying the Russian servicemen had taken pistols, rifles and ammunition cartridges from the radar post near in the town of Sudak and taken them away by car. Heavily-armed troops displaying no identifying insignia and who were mingling with local pro-Russian militants stand guard outside a local government building on Sunday in Simferopol, as reports emerged on Russian troops massing on Ukraine's borders Another group of Russian military had also removed weapons from a Ukrainian navy training centre in Sevastopol. Many soldiers have simply switched to the Russian side, it has been claimed. 'Ukrainian servicemen are tendering their resignations and coming over to the side of the new Crimean authorities en masse,' reported Interfax today, though Ukrainian officials denied this. Russian troops are also massing close to the Ukrainian borders across a wide area. For example, heavily armoured forces from Samara are heading for the border with the Kharkiv region. The same is seen at the border with Chernigov, which is only 120 miles from Kiev. A huge deployment of armoured vehicles and troops are in the Russian port of Novorossiysk from where they could be speedily shipped to Crimea. Armed men stand guard at the local government headquarters in Simferopol, Crimea Military personnel stand next to an armoured personnel carrier in the Crimean port city of Feodosiya on Sunday Ukraine mobilised on Sunday for war and called up its reserves, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to invade in the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War PREPARING THEIR TROOPS

Crimea is now effectively controlled by Russia directly or with the help of so-called self defence units - which in reality include Russian troops and GRU intelligence personnel.

The new government in Kiev has been powerless to react. However, the Defence Ministry was ordered to conduct a call-up of reserves - theoretically all men up to 40 years old. However, Ukraine would struggle to find extra guns or uniforms for significant numbers of them. Ukraine's reserves are thought to number around one million and with the regular army at about 135,000. Russia can call upon 845,000 professional soldiers and two million reservists. Russian sources are also complaining of 'provocations' in both Ukraine and Russia by 'unknown armed men' - doubtless these are a useful pretext for Russian action. Ukraine has put its armed forces on full combat alert.

There has been no sign of ethnic Russians facing attacks in Crimea, where they make up about 60 per cent of the population, or elsewhere in Ukraine. The action was one of many dramatic developments from the region yesterday.

After an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels, the alliance called on Russia to bring its forces back to bases and refrain from interfering in Ukraine. 'We urge both parties to immediately seek a peaceful solution through bilateral dialogue, with international facilitation ... and through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,' NATO said in a statement.

Ukraine is not a NATO member, meaning the U.S. and Europe are not obligated to come to its defense, but the country has taken part in some alliance exercises.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke Sunday before going into a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's political decision-making body.

‘What Russia is doing now in Ukraine violates the principles of the United Nations charter. It threatens peace and security in Europe. Russia must stop its military activities and threats,’ he said. The world's leaders continue to express 'grave concern' about the developing situation - hailed as the most 'serious crisis' since the Cold War'.

The United States brandished the threat of economic sanctions on Russia on Sunday, with Secretary of State John Kerry calling Moscow's moves on Ukraine an 'incredible act of aggression.'



Kerry was scathing in his condemnation and said the United States has 'all options on the table' including a military response. The White House said Obama w ould speak to Allies toda y their response.

Protests continue in Ukraine, Poland and Russia today - with a demonstration entitled 'Ukraine and Crimea are together' taking place in Independence Square, Kiev this afternoon.

Russian police arrested more than 300 of the estimated 1,500 people who took part in a protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Some 20,000 Putin supporters gathered on the streets of the capital to back use of force in Ukraine.

Developments in the Ukraine have alarmed the world's diplomatic leaders, prompting U.S. President Barack Obama to call the Kremlin and urge Putin to back down.

HOW THE WEST CAN ONLY WATCH RUSSIA FLEX ITS MILITARY MIGHT

With Western powers increasingly concluding Ukraine has lost Crimea to Russia, the U.S. and its allies face few viable options and serious questions over future relations.

In ignoring President Barack Obama's Friday warning to keep out of Ukraine, Russia looks to be precipitating the greatest crisis in Russia-Western relations since at least the fall of the Berlin Wall.

How events play out in the next few days could help shape the geopolitical map for years to come.

Any Western direct military action would risk a war between nuclear superpowers. Ukraine's relatively small and underequipped forces could take action but would risk inciting a much wider Russian invasion that could overrun the country.

Obama in particular faces some domestic calls to support Ukraine, although appetite for military involvement appears almost entirely absent. On Saturday, the Pentagon said there had been no change to its military deployments.

‘For the West, it's a very difficult position,’ said Nikolas Gvosdev, professor of national security at the US Naval War College. ‘Obama effectively set down the US red lines,’ he said. 'Putin has gone right through them.’

Foreign Secretary William Hague met with Ukraine's interim leaders as the crisis in the former Soviet country escalates ever closer to war.

Hague said before his departure that he was extremely concerned by the escalation. He said Ukrainian officials have told him by telephone that they won't respond to Russian provocations and he advised them to 'continue with that course.'



He previously said the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine had been ‘violated’ and called for Moscow to speak directly to the nation's new leaders.



Britain has pulled out of preparatory talks due to be held in the coming days for the G8 summit in Sochi over Russia's decision to take military action in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has also said it would be wrong for British ministers to attend the Paralympics in Sochi because of the serious situation in Ukraine.

'Because of the serious situation in Ukraine, William Hague and I believe it would be wrong for UK Ministers to attend the Sochi Paralympics,' Cameron said on Twitter.

Prince Edward, patron of the British Paralympic Association, has also cancelled his planned trip to Russia.



Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was essential to prevent Russia's seizure of Crimea expanding into a wider regional conflict.



'We should be able to stop Russia in its aggressive moves precisely in order to avoid a conflict,' Tusk told reporters on Sunday after an extraordinary meeting with party leaders.



But he said doing nothing was also not an option.



'History shows - although I don't want to use too many historical comparisons - that those who appease all the time in order to preserve peace usually only buy a little bit of time.'

Poland shares a border with Ukraine and large parts of the western part of the country were Polish before World War Two.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday condemned Russia's ‘incredible act of aggression’ in Ukraine and threatened ‘very serious repercussions’ from the United States and other countries including sanctions to isolate Russia economically.

‘You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped up pre-text,’ Kerry told the CBS programme Face the Nation.

Kerry, however, added that Russia still has ‘a right set of choices’ that can be made to defuse the crisis.

Kerry is considering a stop in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, during his trip this coming week to Paris and Rome for discussions on Lebanon and Syria, reports suggested on Sunday.



Labour leader Ed Miliband said ‘all economic and diplomatic’ options should be looked at but not military force.

Asked about the possibility of UN troops being deployed, he told Radio 5 Live’s Pienaar’s Politics: ‘I don’t think anyone’s talking about that and I don’t think they should be.’

Mr Miliband said a ‘clear and uncompromising message’ must be sent to Moscow.

‘There isn’t a simple answer to this situation but I think that swiftness of response is very important by the international community, showing how we regard Russia’s actions is very, very important and looking at all economic and diplomatic measures to convey a sense of what the international community thinks about what is happening in Ukraine and its wish to see the protection of the sovereignty of Ukraine.’

Former Liberal Democrat leader and special forces veteran Paddy Ashdown warned tense times were ahead.

‘We are one pace away from catastrophe at the moment - it would require one foolish act, a trigger happy Russian soldier, a Ukrainian guard who acts aggressively at one of these institutions taken over by Russian supporters, a foolish act now could tip us over the edge,’ he told the Sky News Murnaghan programme.

A group of armed unidentified gunmen cut electric power to the General Headquarters of the Ukrainian Naval forces in Sevastopol on Sunday

‘The good news is it is still possible Russia’s aims are limited - I think increasingly unlikely but still possible. They have legitimate rights under international treaty to the port of Sevastopol for the Black Sea Fleet. They may be posturing, over-reacting or at least using muscle to preserve that right.

‘We still have to test out what are Russia’s aims. If the evidence before us is to be believed then it looks to me they are going further than limited aims, they have already made a power grab in Crimea and are now preparing to make another.

‘The one thing which is absolutely essential now is that the West speaks with a single voice... only in the face of that can we exercise diplomatic leverage.

‘Putin has used force, he knows that’s going further than any of us are prepared to go, he is calling our bluff. The only response is diplomacy.’

Lord Ashdown said German chancellor Angela Merkel should go to Moscow for talks, saying she would be ‘the most important international visitor’.

‘Only if you take those high level moves could we restrain Russia from an act which would be clearly illegal and create a circumstance which we could begin to pull back from this,’ he said.

‘Absent that, the smallest tremor, the smallest act now could take us over the edge.

Unidentified masked individuals hold a Russian flag as they block Trade Union building in Simferopol on Saturday

‘President Putin has taken the view if he uses the military card we will not out trump him. And he’s right, we will not respond in the military fashion... I’m not privy to all the information here but one has to presume that.

‘The only option left is the diplomatic option.’

UKRAINE'S FURY OVER 'RUSSIAN MILITARY INTERVENTION' WHICH THREATENS NEW REGIME The developments in the Crimea in recent days are the latest stage of the tug-of-war over Ukraine's future. Since president Viktor Yanukovych was forced out of Kiev last week an interim leader has taken over and formed a new government after weeks of bloody protests. But the new regime has already run into difficulty due to the unrest in Crimea, where most people are ethnically Russian.

After the armed men stormed the parliament, a new pro-Russian prime minister for the Crimean region was elected. Sergei Aksenov has called on Russian president Vladimir Putin for help keeping the peace. The development marks a sharp divide between the Crimean region and the rest of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, troops thought to be under Russian control have seized airports and border points.

Some fear it could be the beginnings of an attempt to annex the region, which was once part of the Soviet Union.

The new Ukrainian government has characterised the moves as an 'armed invasion' which violates international agreements.

Speaking on the same programme, former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said: ‘There is no doubt this is probably the most serious crisis since the end of the Cold War. Here we have in our own European back country, military troops of Russia going across the international border into another country.

‘That is desperately serious, that has not happened for a very many years - even at the height of the Bosnian conflict, Milosevic was terribly involved in that, never sent his own troops into Bosnia to directly interfere.

‘This needs to be a defining moment and Putin needs to understand this... in the West’s relationship with Russia. This is of particular importance to Ukrainians but there are very serious implications for the whole of Europe.

‘We’re not going to go to war with Russia, we are not going to send our troops into this, that must be right. But diplomacy sounds as if it just means talking and talking with a man like Putin is no doubt desirable, it has to happen, but by itself it will not carry much weight.

‘He is looking to see whether he can get away cost free with this kind of behaviour. So I think it will have to be made clear unless he takes the right action in the next couple of days... that what he is risking is Russia’s whole relationship with the West that has built up since 1990.

‘There are a whole range of ways, beyond just diplomacy, beyond just talking, whereby Russia can be made to realise if it takes this extraordinarily dangerous step of believing it can send its troops into another European country because it is displeased with what is happening, there is a very serious price to pay.’



