1 March 2014
Last updated at 18:11 ET
There were fierce clashes between pro- and anti-Russian protesters in the eastern city of Kharkiv
Acting President Olexander Turchynov said he had also stepped up security at key sites, including nuclear plants.
Russia's Vladimir Putin requested extra troops to protect Russian interests in Ukraine. It came on a day of pro-Russia rallies in the country.
The move has been met with alarm from Western leaders.
President Putin had a 90-minute phone call with US President Barack Obama in which, the Kremlin said, he made clear that Moscow reserves the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
He also stressed that that this would not be limited to the
current flashpoint of Crimea "if violence spread further in the eastern
regions of Ukraine".
Mr Obama, the White House said, told Mr Putin that the appropriate way to address any concerns "is peacefully through direct engagement" with the Ukrainian government and international mediating bodies.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for "an immediate restoration of calm and direct dialogue", whilst Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen tweeted: "Urgent need for de-escalation in Crimea."
The UN Security Council was holding an emergency session on the crisis on Saturday, and Nato and EU officials are due to hold talks in the coming days.
Ukraine army on full alert as Russia backs sending troops
There were fierce clashes between pro- and anti-Russian protesters in the eastern city of Kharkiv
Ukraine
says it has put its army on full combat alert after Russia's parliament
approved the deployment of Russian troops to Ukraine.
Russia's Vladimir Putin requested extra troops to protect Russian interests in Ukraine. It came on a day of pro-Russia rallies in the country.
The move has been met with alarm from Western leaders.
President Putin had a 90-minute phone call with US President Barack Obama in which, the Kremlin said, he made clear that Moscow reserves the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
UK Foreign Minister William Hague said he would travel to Kiev on Sunday
Mr Obama, the White House said, told Mr Putin that the appropriate way to address any concerns "is peacefully through direct engagement" with the Ukrainian government and international mediating bodies.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for "an immediate restoration of calm and direct dialogue", whilst Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen tweeted: "Urgent need for de-escalation in Crimea."
The UN Security Council was holding an emergency session on the crisis on Saturday, and Nato and EU officials are due to hold talks in the coming days.
Continue reading the main story
Bloody scuffles"The facts on the ground are such that Russia, to a large extent, is already in control there ”
In his live television address,
President Turchynov urged Ukrainians to bridge divisions in the country
and said they must not fall for provocations.
But tensions are high, not only in Crimea which is home to a large number of ethnic Russians.
There were big pro-Russian rallies in several Ukrainian cities on Saturday.
Pro-Russian demonstrations took place in several cities on Saturday
In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, dozens of people were injured after scuffles between pro- and anti-Russian protesters broke out outside the regional administration building.
In Mariupol, in the south-east, hundreds of protesters carrying Russian flags gathered outside the city council.
Continue reading the main story
Crimea
- Autonomous republic within Ukraine
- Transferred from Russia in 1954
- Ethnic Russians - 58.5%*
- Ethnic Ukrainians - 24.4%*
- Crimean Tatars - 12.1%*
- Source: Ukraine census 2001
President Putin submitted the
request for troops "in connection with the extraordinary situation in
Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens", the Kremlin
said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said, however, that this "does not mean that this right will be used quickly" to deploy troops.
During the upper house debate, one legislator accused President Obama of crossing "a red line" with his comments on Friday that there would be "costs" if Russia intervened militarily in Ukraine.
The upper house has recommended that the Russian ambassador to the US should be recalled, although the decision lies with Mr Putin.
The build-up of Russia's military in Crimea was evident even before Saturday's vote in Moscow to send extra troops
The presence of Russia has been welcomed by many of Crimea's ethnic Russians
Pro-Russian populations in several
eastern and southern cities across Ukraine took to the streets on
Saturday to voice their opposition to the new interim government in Kiev
Meanwhile, in Kiev's Independence Square,
people gathered for the funeral of one of the 88 people killed in
violent clashes with police that led to the departure of President
Viktor Yanukovych a week ago
Latest reports say two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared off the coast of Crimea in violation of an agreement governing the presence of Russia's Fleet in the peninsula.
These activists in Donetsk tried to hoist the Russian flag over an administrative building
But
the protests turned bloody in Kharkiv
after these pro-Kiev activists clashed with Russian supporters who were
trying to enter an administrative office
Some 6,000 extra Russian troops and 30 additional armoured vehicles are now in Crimea, Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said earlier on Saturday.
The newly-elected pro-Moscow leader of Crimea, Sergiy Aksyonov, said he had appealed to Mr Putin for help to ensure peace on the peninsula.
The interim government in Kiev does not recognise Mr Aksyonov and his government, and signed a decree on Saturday that their election at an emergency session of the regional parliament this week was illegal.
Russia vote as it happened
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered