13:53
22.3.2014
AFP reports that Russia has taken control of the Ukrainian navy's only submarine:
Russian forces have taken control of Ukraine's only submarine in Crimea, the Zaporozhye, and raised the Russian navy flag over the vessel, the Russian Black Sea Fleet said on Saturday.
"The former Ukrainian submarine Zaporozhye was moved about an hour ago to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet's submarine division," fleet spokesman Vyacheslav Trukhachyov told AFP.
The Ukrainian flag on the submarine was replaced by the St Andrew's flag, a blue cross on a white background, of the Russian navy.
"The former Ukrainian submarine Zaporozhye was moved about an hour ago to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet's submarine division," fleet spokesman Vyacheslav Trukhachyov told AFP.
The Ukrainian flag on the submarine was replaced by the St Andrew's flag, a blue cross on a white background, of the Russian navy.
13:55
22.3.2014
Latest from AFP on situation at Ukraine's Novofedorivka air force base:
About 200 pro-Russian protesters on Saturday stormed a Ukrainian air force base in western Crimea, AFP correspondents saw.
The unarmed crowd yelling "Russia! Russia!" broke through to the base in the town of Novofedorivka and started smashing windows as Ukrainian servicemen barricaded themselves inside buildings and threw smoke bombs at the intruders from the roof.
Some of the people threw the smoke bombs back at the soldiers.
Russian officers stood outside watching as the protesters took down the Ukrainian flag and put up the white and blue flag of the Russian navy.
"Why don't you say anything?" a Ukrainian soldier yelled to the Russian officers from the roof. "It's my unit and I have to protect it!"
A Russian military officer then went inside the building to negotiate with the Ukrainians as the crowd of protesters were told to leave.
The spokesman of the Ukraine defence ministry in Crimea, Vladislav Seleznyov, cited sources at the base as saying that the soldiers have retreated into the headquarters building.
"There are some locals among the attackers, but a lot of non-locals. We do not recognise these faces," the source from the base said, according to Seleznyov.
About 200 pro-Russian protesters on Saturday stormed a Ukrainian air force base in western Crimea, AFP correspondents saw.
The unarmed crowd yelling "Russia! Russia!" broke through to the base in the town of Novofedorivka and started smashing windows as Ukrainian servicemen barricaded themselves inside buildings and threw smoke bombs at the intruders from the roof.
Some of the people threw the smoke bombs back at the soldiers.
Russian officers stood outside watching as the protesters took down the Ukrainian flag and put up the white and blue flag of the Russian navy.
"Why don't you say anything?" a Ukrainian soldier yelled to the Russian officers from the roof. "It's my unit and I have to protect it!"
A Russian military officer then went inside the building to negotiate with the Ukrainians as the crowd of protesters were told to leave.
The spokesman of the Ukraine defence ministry in Crimea, Vladislav Seleznyov, cited sources at the base as saying that the soldiers have retreated into the headquarters building.
"There are some locals among the attackers, but a lot of non-locals. We do not recognise these faces," the source from the base said, according to Seleznyov.
13:59
22.3.2014
AP reports on pro-Russia demonstration in Donetsk:
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — More than 5,000 pro-Russia residents of a major city in Ukraine's east demonstrated on Saturday in favor of holding a referendum on whether to seek to split off and become part of Russia.
The rally in Donetsk came less than a week after the Ukrainian region of Crimea approved secession in a referendum regarded as illegitimate by the Western countries. After the referendum, Russia moved to formally annex Crimea.
With Crimea now effectively under the control of Russian forces, which ring Ukrainian military bases on the strategic Black Sea peninsula, concern is rising that Ukraine's eastern regions will agitate for a similar move.
Russia has brought large military contingents to areas near the border with eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there is no intention to move into eastern Ukraine, but the prospect of violence between pro- and anti-secession groups in the east could be used as a pretext for sending in troops.
The rally in Donetsk came less than a week after the Ukrainian region of Crimea approved secession in a referendum regarded as illegitimate by the Western countries. After the referendum, Russia moved to formally annex Crimea.
With Crimea now effectively under the control of Russian forces, which ring Ukrainian military bases on the strategic Black Sea peninsula, concern is rising that Ukraine's eastern regions will agitate for a similar move.
Russia has brought large military contingents to areas near the border with eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there is no intention to move into eastern Ukraine, but the prospect of violence between pro- and anti-secession groups in the east could be used as a pretext for sending in troops.
14:03
22.3.2014
#Ukraine flag flying at Belbek base where #Russia forces now issued ultimatum. Surrender inevitable. How/when unclear pic.twitter.com/4XYv9USib5
— David M. Herszenhorn (@herszenhorn) March 22, 2014
14:06
22.3.2014
No chaos here! U.S. Embassy in Kyiv releases video of life in the Ukrainian capital:
14:32
22.3.2014
From the wires, via our news desk:
Pro-Russian protesters have stormed a Ukrainian air force base in western Crimea. Correspondents at the scene said some 200 unarmed demonstrators yelling "Russia! Russia!" broke through to the base in the town of Novofedorivka and started smashing windows. Ukrainian military personnel barricaded themselves inside buildings and threw smoke bombs at the intruders from the roof. Meanwhile, Russian troops have surrounded a Ukrainian air base in Belbek, near Sevastopol, and issued an ultimatum to forces inside to surrender. The deputy commander of the base, Oleg Podovalov, said Russian troops "gave us an hour to surrender or they will start storming."
14:36
22.3.2014
RT @maxseddon: Live feed from Belbek AF base #Crimea, where #Ukraine troops making last stand against #Russia http://t.co/ZLxgDvKv0K
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) March 22, 2014
14:50
22.3.2014
From the wires, via our news desk:
Crimea held a joint funeral on Saturday for a Ukrainian soldier and a pro-Moscow militiaman killed this week -- the only casualties since Russian forces took over the region. Sergei Aksyonov, the region's prime minister, said at the funeral in the Crimean capital of Simferopol that the two were "Crimean heroes." Mikhail Sheremet, the leader of the pro-Moscow militia in Crimea, said the two men were victims of "a provocation" during a gunbattle in Simferopol on Tuesday. Sheremet said the deaths were still being investigated by local authorities.
14:57
22.3.2014
#Ukraine PM says if G8 has an empty seat "we will take it".
— Paul Waldie (@pwaldieGLOBE) March 22, 2014
14:58
22.3.2014
Pro-Russia activists taking pictures in front of a local administrative building in #Donetsk, #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/zGByr3k4Ft
— Nechepurenko (@INechepurenko) March 22, 2014