Russian gunman fire warning shots as Western officials blocked from entering Crimea in Ukraine

About 200 pro-Russian activists tried to storm the Ukraine Security Service building in the eastern city of Donetsk. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

AN uneasy calm over the Crimea this morning as Russian troops continued to pour across the Ukrainian border into the Crimea in their passive invasion.

Despite continued baffling assurances from Moscow that the tens of thousands of troops entering the Crimea were not theirs, 60 military troops carrying convoys of trucks with Russian license plates and heavily armed troops entered the Crimea today.
Some went to the Crimean capital Simferopol where they occupied a former Ukrainian base now flying the Russian flag.

The Ukrainian armed forces have reported seeing amphibious military ships unloading around 200 military vehicles in eastern Crimea after apparently having crossed the Straits of Kerch, which separates Crimea from Russian territory.
Russian gunship helicopters are also being seen regularly flying back and forth across Sevastopol Bay on the Black Sea. Their mission remains unknown but is part of the intimidating show of force in the now extremely volatile region.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said: “Neither the equipment, nor the paratroopers have insignia that identify them as Russian, but we have no doubt as to their allegiance.”
The amphibious operation appeared to be one of the largest movements of Russian military forces since they appeared in Crimea a week ago.

For the first time since the passive invasion began, Ukrainian border guards and soldiers are also now being fired upon albeit purposefully over their heads.
Today a small plane belonging to border guards was fired at by men with small arms fire, there was no damage or injury.

The Crimean region is now a tinder box with heavily armed Russian soldiers and hastily recruited local militia groups joining forces with outlaw motorcycle gangs such as members of the Night Wolves can be seen active at highway checkpoints as well as outside Ukrainian military bases. There is genuine concern now from both sides the more radical elements involving themselves in the crisis could inadvertently spark outright hostilities through guerilla attacks. So far the only violence has been taken against foreign press.

UKRAINIAN MILITARY ABANDONING CRIMEA BASES
CRIMEA TO VOTE IN REFERENDUM WHETHER TO JOIN RUSSIA
RUSSIA TV PRESENTER QUITS LIVE ON AIR
Road blocks have become a way of life in Crimea with random stops created from giant concrete blocks, spikes and military vehicles placed on the road and largely manned by an intimidating motely group of bikers and armed locals. Vans mostly are being searched and in some cases contents confiscated. Media have begun to lose their press-issue bullet proof vests to these men, the seizure made ostensibly in case the vests are to be donated to “insurgents”.

Closing in ... alleged Russian soldiers guard the Perevalnoye Ukrainian Army Base. 

 

News Corp Australia has been challenged several times by intimidating mobs seeking out specifically American press corp members or others from Europe. The presence of Australian media is still greeted by bemusement. Several journalists have already however been assaulted including a Bulgarian journalist who was bashed yesterday and had his cameras stolen by men dressed as Cossack paramilitaries. The scene was captured by CCTV footage uploaded onto the Internet. British journalists have also had their equipment including bullet proof vests seized.

Leading Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko said there was a danger of “guerrilla war” in Crimea should it be incorporated into Russia and create long term dangers for the whole eastern European region.
Today, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin met with Ukrainian Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, the first such diplomatic contact since the crisis began. In a terse statement, the ministry said only that they discussed issues related to Russian-Ukrainian ties in a “sincere atmosphere”.

Moscow meanwhile is continuing on its charm offensive declaring it has no intention of annexing Crimea however hastily adding it had pledged support to the peninsula’s majority Russian-speaking population and would support their moves toward rejoining Russia.

Meanwhile, in Simferopol a symbolic public ceremony was held for the swearing-in of the first unit in the pro-Russia “Military Forces of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.” About 30 men armed with AK-47s, and another 20 or so unarmed, turned out. They ranged in age from teenagers to a man who looked to be about 60. They were sworn in at a park in front of an eternal flame to those killed in World War II.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Crimean prime minister, came to the ceremony and was greeted by the soldiers with shouts of “Commander!”

It was a show to express that the military enforcement and seigie of Ukrainian bases was being supported by locals. An estimated 20,000 Russian troops are believed to be fanning out across the eastern and southern parts of the Ukraine. News Corp Australia has seen soldiers erecting new tents at an encampment at the foothills of Perevalnoye, south of Crimea’s capital. The heavily armed soldiers when spoken to declined to say where they were from but their vehicles including armoured personal carriers carried Russian markings.

Ukrainian sailors are on guard stranded in the Crimean port of Sevastopol as a Russian warship approaches. 

 

The infiltration of more Russian troops comes as they also stormed a Ukrainian military missile defence base outside Sevastopol.

About 100 Ukrainian personnel had been deployed to the base outside the port city hours before up to 60 heavily armed Russian-uniformed troops barged through the gates with stun grenades and declared the compound theirs. The Ukrainians barricaded themselves inside and their commander negotiated a peaceful outcome. No shots were fired and the barracks are now guarded by local militia groups.
It is now believed there are more than 20,000 Russian troops moving about Crimea which Moscow has declared that with local pro-Russian authorities will formally become part of their territory within two weeks.

The Russian military has also reportedly sunk another two decommissioned ships at the entrance of Lake Donulay which open into the Black Sea to prevent Ukrainia’s navy from exiting. That brings the number of sunk vessels to block the lake mouth to three.
Tensions in Ukraine remain high particularly after members of the Far Right nationalist group Right Sector vowed to run for election when polls are held in May.

It is on the basis that the Russians, declaring the Ukrainian capital Kiev awash with radicals, decided to have a presence of its own in the autonomous state.
Last night, 20 Ukraine TV channels were switched off in the Crimea and replaced with old Russian programs as the region starts to evolve into a part of Russia.

Russian warships block the entrance of the port of Sevastopol in Crimea. 

 

Moscow has also discussed plans with the pro-Russian Crimean government to build a bridge to permanently link the Ukrainian peninsula with mainland Russia.
The observer mission from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a critical part of US President Barack Obama move to de-escalate tensions and appease Moscow who sent troops into Crimea ostensibly to protect Russian citizens.

But the buses led by a Ukrainian police car were stopped at a makeshift checkpoint set up on the Crimean border in Chungar by armed men. After three hours of failed negotiations the convoy was eventually turned away.

“They said the Crimean government didn’t invite the mission,” a Ukrainian military officer travelling with the convoy said. There are several road blocks about Crimea being manned by local self-styled “defence units” backed by Russian soldiers. They search cars and in many cases have been seizing equipment from foreign press. There have been at least eight reported incidents where the media have been beaten up by these local defence units who seize camera and other equipment.

Some 16,000 Russian troops are believed to be in Crimea, 30,000 if you include the maritime personnel permanently based at Russia’s ship yard in Sebastopol. Their presence, backed by local self-styled self defence groups, and surrounding of Ukrainian military bases has led to high tensions.

Alleged Russian troups ... guard the Perevalnoye Ukrainian Army Base Picture: Ella Pellegrini Source: News Corp Australia

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said that despite “deep disagreement” with the West over Ukraine, Moscow hoped some common ground could be found and a new Cold War not begin.
“There still remains hope ... that some points of agreement can be found as a result of dialogue — which our partners, thank God, have not yet rejected,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“I believe that it (a new Cold War) has not started and I would like to believe it will not start,” Peskov said.

Russia overnight meanwhile warned that any US sanctions imposed on them over the crisis will boomerang.
In a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against “hasty and reckless steps” that could harm Russian-American relations, the foreign ministry said. Pres

“Sanctions ... would inevitably hit the United States like a boomerang,” it added.
It was the second tense, high-level exchange between the former Cold War foes in 24 hours over the pro-Russian takeover of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
President Putin said after an hour-long call with President Obama that their positions on the former Soviet republic were still far apart.

In Moscow, a huge crowd numbered in the tens of thousands gathered near the Kremlin at a government-sanctioned rally and concert billed as being “in support of the Crimean people.”
Next week a referendum will be held in Crimea to vote on formally joining Russia. With Crimea having more than 60 per cent Russian-speaking population the move is expected to be past. The Ukrainian government in capital Kiev has already said it would not recognise the vote or the move and was prepared to fight to keep its besieged state.