The government of Ukraine announced tonight that it is making plans to withdraw its army from Crimea, as Russia has taken control of the peninsula and its units have taken over all military installations on that territory.
Secretary of the National Council for Defense and Security Andrei Parubiy said that Ukraine will ask the United Nations to make Crimea a demilitarized zone, which is why it will withdraw its armed forces from the peninsula, AP reported.
The Russians occupied another base in Crimea, Kiev issued an ultimatum
Russian forces occupied the second base of the Ukrainian Navy in the western part of Crimea today, a few hours after they occupied the base in Sevastopol. Russia reacted strongly due to the canceled visit of the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy to Moscow. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that other countries are also in danger of Russian aggression.
Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted today the Agreement on the accession of Crimea to Russia and the amendment to the Constitution on the formation of new subjects of the federation for ratification in the State Duma (the lower house of the parliament), Itar-Tass reported.
The National Security Council of Ukraine has decided to introduce a visa regime with Russia, Ukrainian agencies reported, referring to the Council's secretary Andrey Parubi. According to him, the corresponding order was given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov issued an ultimatum to the Crimean authorities that they have only three hours to release the navy commander, captured during the seizure of the base in Sevastopol, or an "adequate response" will follow. Turchynov announced this ultimatum after an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, demanding to release commander Sergi Gajduk and "other hostages", reported the AFP agency.
Turchinov issued an ultimatum to the Crimean authorities that they had only three hours to release the navy commander
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said today that the "amazing" comparison of the unification of Russia and Crimea with the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany (FDR) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1990, made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US Vice President Joseph Biden said today in Vilnius that the US will respond to any aggression against NATO members. Biden, who is visiting the Baltic region, told reporters that "the price of open aggression is rising."
He also said that the US takes its responsibility under the North Atlantic Treaty "very, very seriously" when it comes to defense assistance for NATO member countries.
Biden spoke with the presidents of Lithuania and Latvia as part of a tour of the Baltic states a day after Russia annexed Crimea.
Captured commander
As reported by the BBC, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian navy was captured in the base of the Ukrainian navy in Sevastopol. The rest of the Ukrainian soldiers left the base humiliated, writes Reuters.
The photographer of that American agency stated that he attended the event when members of the Crimean self-defense unit occupied the building of the Ukrainian Navy base and displayed the Russian flag on it.
Members of pro-Russian forces (photo: Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Crimean leaders signed an agreement yesterday in the Russian parliament by which the Crimean peninsula and Sevastopol, a city with a special status, are accepted into the Russian Federation.
Previously, in a referendum on Sunday, Crimean citizens overwhelmingly supported joining Russia.
Ukraine and the West consider that referendum illegitimate.
Crimea rejected the visit of Ukrainian officials
Crimea rejected today's visit by representatives of the transitional Ukrainian authorities to the breakaway peninsula, Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksionov said in Moscow.
"They are not welcome in Crimea. No one will allow them to enter, they will return them from where they came from," Aksyonov told the Interfax news agency.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Igor Tenyuk and Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Yarema announced earlier this morning that they plan to visit Crimea to "end the escalation of the conflict" on that peninsula.
"Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk tasked Igor Tenyuk and Vitaly Yarema to visit Crimea in an attempt to resolve the situation and end the escalation" of the conflict, Minister Without Portfolio Ostap Semerak told reporters.
Casualties on both sides
Two people, a member of the self-defense units and a Ukrainian soldier, were killed when snipers opened fire from a partially empty building near the Ukrainian military research center in Simferopol, "Rasha Today" television reported.
One sniper has reportedly been detained, and the other is on the run.
The Crimean Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that shots were fired from a building under construction across the street from the military center and that the targets were local Crimean self-defense units and the military center itself.
"The self-defense units were informed earlier today that an armed group was discovered in a partially empty building. When the self-defense units went to check, they were opened fire, presumably from a sniper," the ministry said, adding that shots were fired in two directions. from one place.
One member of the self-defense unit was killed and another was wounded. One Ukrainian soldier from a military research center was also killed, while another was wounded, police said.
Crimean police and prosecutors are investigating the attack.
The target of the sniper attack was a small Ukrainian military topographic research center, where most of the employees are women.
It is a small facility and the forces securing it had only six machine guns and three Makarov pistols.
The center allegedly decided to join Crimea and Russia and was preparing documentation for that.
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