Pro-Russian ... families celebrate in the central square in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Source: AP
CRIMEA’S regional assembly has declared independence from Ukraine and applied to join Russia, saying all Ukrainian state property on the peninsula would be nationalised.
“The republic of Crimea appeals to the United Nations and to all countries of the world to recognise it as an independent state,’’ read a document approved by the assembly.
“The Republic of Crimea ... applies to the Russian Federation to accept the Republic of Crimea as a member of the Russian Federation,’’ it said.
Crimea’s local prime minister Sergiy Aksyonov also tweeted that starting on March 30, the region would switch to Moscow time (GMT +4), two hours ahead of the current time in Crimea.
The document was approved by all 85 deputies present in the 100-seat assembly, after a disputed referendum on Sunday in which Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Russia.
“The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ... declares Crimea an independent sovereign state — the Republic of Crimea,’’ the document said.
It said that from tonight, Ukrainian laws would no longer apply in Crimea and decisions taken by the Ukrainian state since the ousting of Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych last month had no authority.
No looking back ... pro-Russian troops block the main gate of a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne, Ukraine. Source:AP
“The activities of state institutions of Ukraine on the territory of Crimea are finished and their powers, their property and their budgets are transferred to the state organs of the Republic of Crimea,’’ it said.
“All establishments, businesses and other organisations of Ukraine or with Ukrainian participation on the territory of Crimea will belong to Crimea,’’ it added.
It was unclear if this would also include Ukrainian military bases.
Aksyonov also said in a tweet that 500 Ukrainian soldiers had left their posts in Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Earlier today, US President Barack Obama hinted at possible additional sanctions on Russia, warning his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the United States and its allies would “never” recognise Crimea’s breakaway vote.
In a telephone call, Obama told Putin that the vote that found 95.5 per cent of ballots in favour of the Crimean Peninsula leaving Ukraine to rejoin Russia violated the Ukrainian constitution.
“President Obama emphasised that the Crimean ‘referendum,’ which violates the Ukrainian constitution and occurred under duress of Russian military intervention, would never be recognised by the United States and the international community,” the White House said in a statement.
The vote would mark the most radical redrawing of the map of Europe since Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia.
Tensions high ... self-defence volunteers line up outside the Parliament in Kiev, Ukraine. Source: AP
Joining international condemnation from other world capitals, Obama warned: “Russia’s actions were in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and that, in coordination with our European partners, we are prepared to impose additional costs on Russia for its actions.”
The Kremlin said earlier that the call was initiated by the American side, as relations between Russia and the United States have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War.
Putin told Obama that the referendum was fully legal, “in line with the norms of international law and the UN charter.”
Ukraine’s new pro-European leaders and the West have branded the referendum “illegal” because the strategic Black Sea region has been under de facto control of Russian forces since the start of the month.
White House spokesman Jay Carney earlier said Russia had spurned outreach to Ukraine and calls for international monitoring, instead escalating its military intervention into Crimea and initiating military exercises on Ukraine’s eastern border.
He called Russia’s actions “dangerous and destabilising.” Obama stressed that the crisis could still be solved diplomatically, but not so long as “Russian military forces continue their incursions into Ukrainian territory” and conduct large-scale military exercises along the border with Ukraine, according to the White House.
Russia should support the “immediate” deployment of international monitors to “help prevent acts of violence by any groups,” it added.
Diplomatic response ... French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, right, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, centre background, and Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, second from left, walk towards their seat prior to the start of the EU foreign ministers council at the European Council building in Brussels. Source: AP
MAJORITY OF VOTERS WANT TO JOIN RUSSIA
EVEN before residents of Crimea went to the polls Sunday, Ukrainians and Russians knew the result of the vote would be to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. So, when results showed that more than 95 per cent per cent of the voters favoured joining Russia, it didn’t really turn any heads.
What did, however, was news footage showing ranks of Russian tanks lining the road near Krech in eastern Crimea, apparently preparing to move, while other footage showed Ukrainian tanks moving to defend the border with Russia in the Donetsk district, on the eastern edge of the country.
The prospect of a strengthened Russian force moving north from Crimea into other parts of Ukraine, or Ukrainian tanks engaging potential Russian invaders in the east, raised tensions after weeks when the Russian takeover of Crimea was largely without bloodshed.
The interim Ukrainian government pledged to spend an additional $7 billion on its underfunded military.
The curtain falls ... a resident, left, exits a polling booth as an electoral official, right, looks on at a polling station during the Crimean referendum, in Shirokoe, near Sevastopol, Ukraine. Picture: Andrew Lubimov Source: AP
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian soldiers still in Crimea had until Friday to leave the territory or face military action by Russian forces.
Crimean officials said 80 per cent of eligible voters turned out for the referendum, which offered only two options: secede from Ukraine and join Russia or revert to the 1992 constitution that gave Crimea vast autonomy. There was no option to maintain the status quo.
With 50 per cent of the ballots counted, union with Russia was favoured by 95.5 per cent, with 3.5 per cent choosing more autonomy. One per cent of the ballots were ruled invalid.
The White House issued a straightforward statement: “We reject the ‘referendum’ that took place today in the Crimean region of Ukraine. No decisions should be made about the future of Ukraine without the Ukrainian government. Moreover, this vote was not necessary. The Ukrainian government has made clear its willingness to discuss increased autonomy for Crimea.”
The European Union and European Council heads issued a joint statement, noting there would be consequences, and those would be discussed tonight in Brussels.
True colours ... people in Lenin Square attend a pro Russian rally. Picture: Spencer Platt Source: Getty Images
“The referendum is illegal and illegitimate and its outcome will not be recognised,’’ the statement said.
“We reiterate the strong condemnation of the unprovoked violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and call on Russia to withdraw its armed forces.’’
Those denunciations were joined by a council of Crimea’s Tatar minority, which called on Ukrainians and the international community to “confirm that we recognise Ukraine as a sovereign and independent state in the existing borders’’ and “condemn vigorously an act of aggression committed by the Russian Federation and its plans to annex Crimea.’’
The Tatars, who consider Crimea their homeland and trace their history to the era of Genghis Khan, noted that they’ve face more than 200 years of repression under Russian rule.
Their population has fallen to just 12 per cent of Crimea’s total under a determined Russian campaign to move them out, including a decision by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin to relocate them, a move the statement referred to as the “genocide of May 18, 1944, when the whole Crimean Tatar people was subjected to the forcible deportation from its historical homeland.’’
The Rump Crimean government said 40 per cent of the Tatars participated in Sunday’s referendum, but the Tatar council said the participation rate was only 1 per cent.
Russian and Crimean officials gave every indication that they intend to proceed quickly with formalising the Russian annexation. Crimean Prime Minister Serhiy Aksyonov called the decision historic and said he would seek Russian agreement on Monday, with the Russian Parliament expected to take up the matter on Wednesday. Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Ilmirovich Temirgaliev said the region would replace the Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia, with Russian roubles in April.
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Face of change ... A pro-Russia demonstrator wears a vest bearing a depiction of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the words, "Motherland! Freedom!" Picture: Andrey Basevich Source: AP
The Friday deadline for Ukrainian troops to leave Crimea came in an announcement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which said it had agreed to ``a truce’’ to allow the Ukrainian forces a work week to get back to the Ukrainian mainland.
Russian troops without insignia have been occupying Crimea for two weeks and have surrounded several military bases still occupied by Ukrainians. Ukrainian soldiers said last week that their Russian counterparts had told them that after the referendum, their presence would be considered illegal and that they would be given the choices of disarming and returning to Ukraine, taking Russian citizenship or preparing to defend themselves.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh, in an interview with Ukrainian Interfax news service, said Ukrainian troops would not leave Crimea.
He said Ukrainian combat readiness remains at its highest level, and that in past few days 40,000 Ukrainians have signed up for National Guard duty.
Clear victory ... An election observer sits at a polling station in Simferopol, Ukraine. Picture: Ivan Sekretarev Source: AP
``I want to say that the illegal referendum that is attempted to be held at gunpoint in the Crimea is not recognised by any country in the world. Moreover, it is not recognised by Ukrainian parliament, government and society,’’ he said. ``Therefore, soldiers who are in Crimea will strictly follow the laws and statutes of the armed forces. And they will not leave because this is Ukrainian land.’’
Tenyukh also said that Russia maintains the pretence that their troops have not been occupying Crimea. He said that when he asked his Russian counterpart why the troops were there, the Russian minister answered ``We know nothing. Those are not our soldiers.’’
``When I specifically named brigades, battalions numbers, military units, the reply came: ‘We will think about it,’ ‘’ he said, adding, ``Of course, this is not considered to be an honest answer.’’
Guarded peace ... An armed man, believed to be a Russian serviceman, stands guard outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalnoye in Crimea. Picture: Dimitar Dilkoff Source: AFP
While Russian troops have controlled Crimea since the end of February, experts and military officials note that once Crimea is broken away from Ukraine, it will lose access to water and fuel, which flow to it from the Ukrainian mainland, and that the area will not have a land connection to Europe except through what is likely to be a hostile Ukraine.
Viktor Sokolov, first vice president of the Gorshenin Institute, a public policy research centre in Kiev, said Russia cannot rely on support from Ukraine in the peeled-away region. His polls, over the years, have shown that while 40 per cent of Crimean residents have favoured secession, 87 per cent of Ukrainians oppose them leaving.
Shady business ... : People cast their votes at a polling station in Bakhchysarai, Ukraine. Picture: Dan Kitwood Source:Getty Images
``Reaction could be extremely negative,’’ he wrote in an email answer to questions.
Crimea’s isolation has led military experts to conclude that Russia may move to annex other Ukrainian regions needed to provide a land corridor connecting Crimea to Russia.
Stephen Long, an international security expert at the University of Richmond, said that he doubts international outcry over an expanded Russian land grab would deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.
``Putin is willing to endure any level of international condemnation in the pursuit of his interests in the Russian near abroad,’’ Long said. ``What is stunning about this story is that he appears to believe that he can change the narrative through sheer force of will.’’
``What is not clear,’’ Long added, ``is whether Mr. Putin believes that he is actually changing public perception, or whether he simply cares so little about it that he sees no reason to offer a more convincing argument for his actions.’’
Overwhelming force ... A flag is held out of a car as referendum staff collect the votes of people too infirm to visit the polling station. Picture: Dan Kitwood Source: Getty Images
US URGES COMPROMISE
Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry is urging Moscow to pull back Russian forces to their bases in Crimea in return for constitutional reforms in Ukraine to protect minority rights.
It appeared to receive a positive echo from Moscow, where the foreign ministry said Lavrov and Kerry agreed to look for ways to defuse the crisis in Ukraine through "the launch as soon as possible of a constitutional reform with the support of the international community’’.
A senior State Department official said Kerry "made clear that this crisis can only be resolved politically and that as Ukrainians take the necessary political measures going forward, Russia must reciprocate by pulling forces back to base, and addressing the tensions and concerns about military engagement’’.
Kerry reiterated that the United States considered the referendum illegal under Ukrainian law and would not recognise the outcome.
He also raised concerns about Russian military activity in Kherson Oblast, the Ukrainian province just north of Crimea, and "continuing provocations’’ in the eastern cities in Ukraine.
Game changer ... referendum staff walk on a street as they collect the votes in a predominantly Russian area of Bachchisaray, Ukraine. Picture: Dan Kitwood Source: Getty Images
