Russians accused of occupying Crimea airports in 'military invasion'

Russian military forces have occupied an airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea near the Russian naval base in an "armed invasion", Ukraine's interior minister has said.

On a day of escalating tensions between the two countries, eight Russian military helicopters were also reportedly seen flying towards the Belbek international airport in Sevastopol, although a video purporting to show the aircrafts landing has not been verified.

Another airport, Simferopol, has also been occupied by armed men, also thought to be pro-Russia militia. Eight army trucks with Russian plates were also moving towards Simferopol, the BBC has reported.

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said about 30 Russian marines had taken positions outside its Coast Guard base in the Sevastopol base. The interior minister, Arsen Avakov said: "I consider what has happened to be a military invasion and occupation in violation of all international agreements and norms."

In response, Russia's Black Sea Fleet has denied its forces were involved in a seizure or blockade of the airport, according to the Interfax news agency.

"No units of the Black Sea fleet were deployed in the area of Belbek nor did they take place in blockading it," a statement from the fleet's press service said.

In other developments today, France, Germany and Poland released a joint statement saying they are "very worried" by the events and urged all parties to refrain from any action endangering Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's acting president Olexander Turchynov signed a decree dismissing the head of the armed forces general staff, his office said on Friday. Admiral Yuriy Ilyin was only appointed at height of protests against the ousted president Viktor Yanokovych.

The Ukrainian parliament has asked the UN Security Council to discuss the escalating situation in Crimea and Mr Turchynov has called an emergency session of security chiefs to discuss the situation in Crimea.

He proposed parliament hold a vote to adopt an appeal to Russia to "respect Ukraine's territorial integrity" and "reject support for separatism in Ukraine, of any form".

But what really happen...

Crimean leader claims control, asks Putin for help 

The pro-Russian prime minister of Ukraine's restive Crimea claimed control of all military, police and other security services in the region Saturday and appealed to Russia's president for help in keeping peace there. President Obama warned Moscow "there will be costs" if it intervenes militarily.

In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Sergei Aksenov declared that the armed forces, the police, the national security service and border guards will answer only to his orders. He said any commanders who don't agree should leave their posts.

As armed men described as Russian troops took control of key airports and a communications center in Crimea on Friday, Ukraine accused Russia of a "military invasion and occupation" — a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis, and raised fears that Moscow is moving to annex a strategic peninsula where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.

Russia denied its forces were involved, and the Russian foreign ministry said what was happening in Ukraine was an internal matter. Russian President Vladimir Putintold concerned European leaders who called him Friday that he opposes any escalation of violence and supports normalizing the situation.

Though the U.S. intelligence community doesn't yet have clarity on the precise nature of troop movements in Crimea, preliminary indications point to a Russian military that is in the process of intervening—despite assurances from Moscow that it would respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, U.S. officials said.

The unrest in Crimea—where Russia maintains a naval base despite ceding control of the territory decades ago—raised the possibility of the de facto partition of Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that gained its independence in 1991.

For the U.S. and Europe, which appeared only days ago to have succeeded in foiling Moscow's efforts to pull Ukraine back into its orbit, the moves presaged a potentially unstable and violent future for the country. The new government has struggled to establish its authority while seeking closer ties—and tens of billions of dollars in financial aid—from the West.

Crimea, which belonged to Russia until 1954, has become the strongest pocket of resistance to Ukraine's new leadership since Mr. Yanukovych's departure. Most of the population there is ethnic Russian; and the newly installed local government has declared its allegiance to the ousted president, making it the only Ukrainian region to officially do so.

The new regional chief, Sergei Aksyonov, said that Crimea was under the full control of local officials and that government services were functioning normally. "The lives and safety of Crimeans are in no danger," he said.

Source: 

http://www.independent.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26379722
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/01/crimean-putin-russia-ukraine/5922731/
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304026804579410312916261336?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304026804579410312916261336.html