Russian helicopters heading towards Ukraine fill the skies like a swarm of bees. Courtesy Kostas Babas.

UKRAINE’S deposed president Viktor Yanukovych is still the legitimate head of state of the country even if his authority is “negligible”, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said today.

In other developments, the Abbott Government has cancelled a trade trip to Russia as tension mounts over their involvement in Ukraine and world leaders condemned President Vladimir Putin.

Russia’s ambassador to Australia has said his country was expelling a ‘Neo-Nazi’ government from the Crimea as troops continue to dig-in at key points around the peninsula.

Senior Obama administration officials said the US now believes that Russia has complete operational control of Crimea, a pro-Russian area of the country, and has more than 6,000 troops in the region.

According to Ukrainian news media reports, grenades and light arms were used in an assault on an army base in the Sevastopol suburb of Belbek this morning. One officer was reportedly wounded and ‘non Ukrainian’ soldiers have taken control of the facility. There are also reports a telecommunications building in Dzhankoi has also been seized.

There are unconfirmed reports that troops are digging trenches on the narrow isthmus which connects the Crimean peninsula with the remainder of Ukraine at Armyansk.

Outrage over Russia’s military moves mounted in world capitals, with US Secretary of State John Kerry calling on President Vladimir Putin to pull back from “an incredible act of aggression.’’

European governments are scrambling to form a unified response to the occupation, with several emergency sessions of NATO and EU leadership groups underway.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ordered his deputy Jan Eliasson to fly on Sunday to Ukraine, after two emergency sessions of the UN Security Council in which Western countries traded blame with Russia for the unfolding crisis.

The deputy secretary-general will then brief Ban “on the next steps the United Nations could take to support the de-escalation of the situation’’, a UN spokesman said.

News_Module: nndslider - ukraine - russia tension

Yanukovych still legit president: Russia

Ukraine’s deposed president Viktor Yanukovych is still the legitimate head of state of the country even if his authority is “negligible”, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said today.

Medvedev added that Russia does not recognise the new authorities who took power in Kiev after the overthrow of Yanukovych, saying they had violated the constitution.

In a posting on his Facebook page, Medvedev did not directly refer to the parliament approval won by President Vladimir Putin at the weekend to send Russian troops onto Ukrainian territory amid the standoff in Crimea.

“Yes, the authority of president Yanukovych is practically negligible but this does not cancel out the fact that according to the constitution of Ukraine he is still the legitimate head of state,” Medvedev said.

Russia has given sanctuary to Yanukovych, who on Friday emerged for the first time to give a news conference in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

Medvedev said Russia is ready to develop “multifaceted, respectful relations with brotherly Ukraine” - but not with the authorities who replaced Yanukovych.

“Ukraine is not for us the group of people who shed blood... and took power in violation of the constitution and other laws of their state.”

“It is the entire country. A varied group of people. Ukrainians, Russians, Tatars, Jews. Different communities, living in harmony,” he added.

Medvedev’s comments played on the widely-held perception in Russia that the new Ukrainian government is made up of hardcore nationalists who cater to a minority of Ukrainians.

The remarks underlined that while Russia is far from happy with the actions of Yanukovych, Moscow is still far from recognising the new authorities as a legitimate partner.

- AFP

News_Image_File: ’Unprovoked aggression’... Tony Abbott has cancelled an Australian trade trip to Russia over the country’s actions in Ukrains. Picture: Alex Ellinghausen

Abbott government cancels Russia visits

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Russia’s “unprovoked aggression” in Ukraine has no place in the world.

The government summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Morozov on Monday to explain his country’s decision to allow troops into Crimea, a region of Ukraine with strong historic ties to its powerful neighbour.

Mr Abbott says the envoy was told “in no uncertain terms” about Australia’s concern regarding Russia’s actions.

“Unprovoked aggression should have no place in our world,” he told parliament during question time.

“Russia should back off, it should withdraw its forces from the Ukraine and people of the Ukraine ought to be able to determine their future themselves.”

Mr Abbott said Trade Minister Andrew Robb had cancelled a planned visit to Russia in light of the developments.

A visit to Australia by a Russian national security adviser would also not go ahead, he said.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told the chamber he supported the government’s moves.

“G7’’ leaders condemn Russia

The leaders of the world’s top industrialised powers have turned on fellow G8 member Russia, condemning its “clear’’ violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Symbolically billing themselves as the “G7’’, the leaders said in a statement that Russia’s actions were incompatible with the Group of Eight Nations, which Moscow joined in 1997, and said they would not take part in preparatory talks for June’s G8 summit in Sochi, Russia.

The statement, signed by the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, was released by the White House.

The leaders said they joined to “condemn the Russian Federation’s clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in contravention of Russia’s obligations under the UN Charter and its 1997 basing agreement with Ukraine’’.

“We call on Russia to address any ongoing security or human rights concerns that it has with Ukraine through direct negotiations, and/or via international observation or mediation under the auspices of the UN or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.’’

The statement called on all parties to “behave with the greatest extent of self-restraint and responsibility, and to decrease the tensions.’’

ArchBsp Clement of #ukraine orthodox church, stands at gates of surrounded base 'to protect my people'. #crimea pic.twitter.com/XFOqG5HW2m — James Mates (@jamesmatesitv) March 2, 2014

Russia ‘quelling Neo-Nazi uprising’: Ambassador

FROM JENNIFER RAJCA, CANBERRA: Russian Ambassador Vladamir Morozov has left the DFAT building in Canberra side by side with an interpreter, claiming Neo-Nazi elements are coming to power in Ukraine.

“The current official Government in Kiev is just not fully legitimised government which represents the only interest of the crowd on Maidan Street,” he said.

“We clearly see the anti-Russian hysterical trends.”

“We also see the deprivation of the history of especially of the Second World War and that the ultra Nazis are coming to power in Kiev.”

He stressed he “cannot confirm” that any troops were on the Ukrainian territory, but admitted there are self-defence troops in Crimea.

Mr Morozov conceded he shares Australia’s concern about the situation.

“The government of Australia has asked us to do whatever the Russian government can to stabilise the situation,” he said.

“It’s in deep Russian interest to maintain fully functional and legitimate government in Ukraine to keep the country united.”

#Medvedev: Russia reserves the right to protect the legitimate interests of its citizens and military personnel stationed in the Crimea — Government of Russia (@GovernmentRF) March 2, 2014

The Federal Opposition shared its concerns about the recent developments in the country.

“We support the UN Secretary General’s call for the preservation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and sovereignty,” Shadow Foreign Minister Tanya Plibersek said.

“Any threat to that is completely unacceptable. Labor urges all parties to exercise restraint and to seek to resolve the situation peacefully.”

“Australia must work together with the international community, including as a member of the UN Security Council, to urge a peaceful resolution through dialogue.”

#crimea #ukraine Facing up to Russian troops - only my camera lens separates us pic.twitter.com/7BILHPchMy — Manuelfocus (@manuelfocus) March 2, 2014

‘We don’t know where this is heading’: Bishop

FROM JENNIFER RAJCA, CANBERRA: The Foreign Minister has summoned the Russian Ambassador to explain what the country is doing in Ukraine, conceding “we don’t know where this is heading”.

Vladimir Morozov visited at the Department of Foreign Affairs offices in Canberra to meet with the department’s Secretary Peter Varghese.

“I have asked the Russian ambassador to come to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to explain the intentions of the Russian government and also to give us an opportunity to officially register our concern,” Julie Bishop told reporters as she arrived for another event.

We join our allies in condemning in the strongest terms Pres. Putin’s military intervention in Ukraine. My ST here: http://t.co/obXVP5NlS3 — Stephen Harper (@pmharper) March 2, 2014

“This must be resolved by Russia withdrawing its troops and all lines of communication should remain open,” she said.

Ms Bishop claimed she remained hopeful “diplomacy and dialogue” would resolve the situation.

The Minister urged Australians not to travel to Ukraine or Crimea.

“It is very volatile at present,” she said.

“We call on the Russian government to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

She said Australia’s ambassador would remain in Russia for now, so he can send messages to the country’s government.

News_Rich_Media: Civilians attempt to block tanks

Standoff between Ukrainian and ‘mystery’ troops

Defiant Ukrainian troops are in a tense standoff with hundreds of armed men believed to be under Russia’s orders who have surrounded their military base in the flashpoint peninsula of Crimea and demanded their surrender.

Dressed in green military fatigues and carrying automatic rifles, the gunmen wore no official insignia but pro-Russia supporters nearby welcomed them with open arms, leaving little doubt as to their allegiance.

Hundreds of other mysterious gunmen have seized key government buildings and surrounded other military bases in this Russian-speaking autonomous region that has been thrown into disarray since the ouster of Kremlin-backed Viktor Yanukovych last month.

Ukrainian officials said the armed men had arrived at the base near the village of Perevalne, which hosts the 36th Coast Guard Brigade, in the early morning on Sunday.

“The (Ukrainian) troops were given an ultimatum to lay down arms, leave their posts and open the gates. The servicemen refused to violate their oath,’’ Vladyslav Seleznyov, a local defence ministry spokesman, told Ukrainian television.

The defence ministry said 1,000 armed fighters and around 20 trucks were outside the base near the small village of Perevalne, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) southeast of Crimea’s regional capital of Simferopol.

News_Rich_Media: 'Mystery' troops in Crimea

News_Module: nndslider - russia - conflict

NATO urges ‘dialogue’

NATO has called for international observers to monitor Ukraine and says Russia must pull back its forces, while its also seeking talks with Moscow.

“We urge both parties to immediately seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue, through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the OSCE,’’ said a statement read out by NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday.

Winding up almost eight hours of talks, the 28-nation alliance condemned Russia’s military escalation in Crimea and insisted that it “refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine’’

The emphasis was on a political solution, with no threat of reprisal and instead a call to Moscow to “engage’’ in talks with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

PM & @BarackObama have agreed on urgent need for de-escalation & Russia to engage in dialogue directly with Ukraine http://t.co/gXvoJOWZBy — UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) March 2, 2014

FM #Steinmeier on #Crimea: Very dangerous path of rising tension. Reversal still possible. New division of Europe can still be avoided. 1/3 — GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) March 2, 2014

The allies called also for “an inclusive political process in Ukraine based on democratic values, respect for human rights, minorities and the rule of law, which fulfils the democratic aspirations of the entire Ukrainian people’’.

An emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels is about to get underway as global powers scramble for a common response and amid talk of a possible extraordinary European Union summit next week.

President Obama has threatened to withdraw from G8 talks and move to revoke Russia’s access to the prestigious economic club as England ordered Prince Edward and ministers not to attend the Sochi Paralympic Games.

Russian official on Obama's threat to not attend G8: "There is Russian saying which goes, you can't scare a hedgehog with a naked ass." — Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2014

The first domino to fall?

Fearing that Europe’s borders were being rewritten by force, world leaders rushed to find a diplomatic solution to the dispute. But there is no denying what has already happened on the ground: Russia captured the Black Sea peninsula on Saturday without firing a shot.

Outrage over Russia’s tactics is mounting in world capitals, with US Secretary of State John Kerry calling on President Vladimir Putin to pull back from “an incredible act of aggression.’’

He will fly to Ukraine tonight for meetings with the Ukrainian government.

UN deputy chief Jan Eliasson will also fly to Ukraine.

``The deputy secretary-general will be personally apprised of the facts on the ground and will subsequently brief the secretary-general on the next steps the United Nations could take to support the de-escalation of the situation,’’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman said.

I will be headed to Kyiv, Ukraine tomorrow night for discussions there Tuesday. — John Kerry (@JohnKerry) March 2, 2014

Woman taking a soldier selfie in Crimea. Getty Images pic.twitter.com/wBnpDVt1OX — Brandon Wall (@Walldo) March 2, 2014

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has warned that his crisis-hit country is on the “brink of disaster’’, accusing Russia of declaring war in a bleak appeal to the international community.

“This is the red alert, this is not a threat, this is actually a declaration of war to my country,’’ he told reporters in English, a day after Russia’s parliament approved the deployment of troops to Ukraine.

“If President Putin wants to be the president who started a war between two neighbouring and friendly countries, between Ukraine and Russia, he has reached his target within a few inches. We are on the brink of the disaster.”

As Russian troops mobilised, Ukraine’s navy chief announced he had switched allegiance to the pro-Russian authorities of the flashpoint peninsula of Crimea, a day after he was appointed to the post by interim leader Oleksandr Turchynov.

News_Image_File: Map: Graphicstock

“I swear to execute the orders of the (pro-Russia) commander-in-chief of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,’’ Denis Berezovsky said in a televised statement from inside the Crimean headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, adding that he “swears allegiance to the residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea’’.

Several hours after this speech, he also defected to join Russian naval forces.

Six warships have since been observed leaving Ukrainian ports.

Meanwhile, Poland has admitted it has begun moving tanks and troops to take up position along its borders with Ukraine - but insists it is part of a ‘previously scheduled exercise’.

Troops stream towards strategic points

A convoy of hundreds of Russian troops has also headed toward the capital of Ukraine’s Crimea region, and a group of 1000 armed men were blocking the entrance to a unit of Ukraine’s border guards in a tense standoff in the south of the flashpoint Crimea peninsula Sunday, the defence ministry said.

News_Rich_Media: Ultimatum: Soldiers told to surrender

“One thousand armed fighters and around 20 trucks are blocking the perimeter of the 36th brigade of border guards ... in Perevalne,’’ the ministry said in a statement, as tensions remain high after Russia’s parliament approved the deployment of troops in Ukraine. It did not indicate what nationality the armed men were.

Witnesses also said Russian soldiers had blocked about 400 Ukrainian marines at a base in the eastern port city of Feodosiya and were calling on them to surrender and give up their arms.

Still, politicians were treading carefully, knowing it was a delicate time for Europe.

“We are on a very dangerous track of increasing tensions,’’ German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. ‘’(But) it is still possible to turn around. A new division of Europe can still be prevented.’’

News_Image_File: Gathering force ... a convoy of hundreds of Russian troops heads toward the capital of Ukraine's Crimea region on Sunday. Picture: Darko Vojinovic

Ukraine meanwhile called up its military reservists but the new government in Kiev has been powerless to react. Ukraine’s parliament was meeting on Sunday in a closed session.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine. Russian officials also argued they had no need to turn for permission from the UN Security Council — as Mr Putin had demanded for any Western action in Syria — because the wellbeing of their own citizens was at stake.

#Medvedev: Russia reserves the right to protect the legitimate interests of its citizens and military personnel stationed in the Crimea — Government of Russia (@GovernmentRF) March 2, 2014

US Secretary of State John Kerry upped the stakes for Mr Putin by bluntly warning that Moscow risked losing its coveted place among the Group of Eight nations over its deployment of troops in Crimea.

US President Barack Obama branded the Russian parliament’s Saturday vote to allow Mr Putin to send troops into its western neighbour a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty’’.

News_Image_File: Escalation ... heavily-armed troops displaying no identifying insignia stand guard outside a local government building in Simferopol, Ukraine. Picture: Sean Gallup

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. Russia maintains an important naval base on Crimea.

President Barack Obama spoke with Mr Putin by telephone for 90 minutes on Saturday and expressed his “deep concern’’ about “Russia’s clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity,’’ the White House said. Mr Obama warned that Russia’s “continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation.’’

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The US also said it will suspend participation in “preparatory meetings’’ for the Group of Eight economic summit planned in June at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Winter Olympics were held.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius agreed, saying on French radio Europe that planning for the summit should be put on hold. France “condemns the Russian military escalation’’ in Ukraine, and Moscow must “realise that decisions have costs,’’ he said Sunday.

News_Image_File: Taking sides ... Pro-Russian militants station themselves behind a row of shields in Simferopol, Ukraine. Picture: Sean Gallup

France and Britain called for negotiations to be organised between Moscow and Kiev, either directly or through the United Nations.

In the most immediate response to Russia’s actions in the country on the eastern edge of Europe, the US and its Western allies pulled out of preparatory meetings this week for the June G8 summit in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Mr Kerry went one step further by warning Putin that “he is not going have a Sochi G8, he may not even remain in the G8 if this continues.

“He may find himself with asset freezes, on Russian business, American business may pull back, there may be a further tumble of the rouble.’’

Sochi was the host of last month’s Winter Olympics, a $57 billion extravaganza which along with the football World Cup in 2018 are meant to highlight Russia’s return to prosperity and global influence under Mr Putin’s rule.

Russia was admitted to the G8 in 1998 in recognition of the late president Boris Yeltsin’s democratic reforms — a spot the Kremlin has coveted as a recognition of its post-Soviet might.

Mr Rasmussen said the allies will “coordinate closely’’ on the situation in Ukraine, which he termed “grave.’’

Ukraine is not a NATO member, meaning the US and Europe are not obligated to come to its defence. But Ukraine has taken part in some alliance military exercises and contributed troops to its response force.

News_Image_File: Men in black ... members of the Berkut, the Ukrainian special riot police disbanded by Kiev's new authorities, appear during a pro-Russian rally in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Picture: Alexander Khudoteply

Analysts called Ukraine the most serious crisis to test the West’s relations with Moscow since the 1991 breakup of the USSR.

“The damage to Russia’s relations with the West will be deep and lasting, far worse than after the Russian-Georgian war,’’ Eugene Rumer and Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in a report.

“Think 1968, not 2008,’’ they said in reference to the Soviet Union’s decision to send tanks into Prague to suppress a pro-democracy uprising.

On the road from Sevastopol, the Crimean port where Russia has its naval base, to Simferopol on Sunday morning, Associated Press journalists saw 12 military trucks carrying troops, a Tiger vehicle armed with a machine gun and also two ambulances.

Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced late Saturday that he had ordered Ukraine’s armed forces to be at full readiness because of the threat of “potential aggression.’’ He also said he had ordered stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.

News_Image_File: ‘Brink of disaster’ Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the Russian military actions are a ‘declaration of war’. Picture: Andrew Kravchenko

On Crimea, however, Ukrainian troops have offered no resistance.

The new government came to power last week following months of pro-democracy protests against the now-fugitive president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his decision to turn Ukraine toward Russia instead of the European Union.

Ukraine’s population of 46 million is divided in loyalties between Russia and Europe, with much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the EU, while eastern and southern regions look to Russia for support. Crimea, a semi-autonomous region that Russia gave to Ukraine in the 1950s, is mainly Russian-speaking.

News_Image_File: Pro-Russian activists shout slogans during a rally in Donetsk, declaring they supported "the aspirations of Crimea to rejoin Russia". Picture: Alexander Khudoteply

Pro-Kremlin sentiments in Crimea remained on wide display Sunday — a fact portrayed in detail by Kremlin-controlled television amid a burgeoning Russian media propaganda campaign.

“Crimea is Russia,’’ one elderly lady told AFP in front of a statue of Soviet founder Lenin that dominates a square next to the occupied parliament building in Simferopol.

The mood in Kiev was radically different as about 50,000 people massed on Independence Square — the crucible of both the latest wave of demonstrations and the 2004 Orange Revolution that first nudged Kiev on a westward path — in protest at Putin’s latest threat.

“We will not surrender,’’ the huge crowd chanted under grey skies.