http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-11/red-line-crossing-ukraine-effectively-gifts-crimea-russia-says-will-not-intervene-mi

( Ukraine fledgling Government throws in the towel regarding Crimea , how long before the ret of Eastern and Southeastern Ukraine gets the " fever " to join Russia ? )

Red Line Crossing: Ukraine Effectively Gifts Crimea To Russia, Says "Will Not Intervene Militarily"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/11/2014 19:22 -0400

It May be time for Obama to explain to Putin the whole thing about "costs" and "red lines" one more time, maybe over a two hour phone call this time so the former KGB spy finally gets it, because while Russia has been seemingly confused for the past two weeks, Moscow just successfully annexed Crimea, without spilling a drop of blood. Which is what Ukraine essentially just confirmed after its acting president, who attained his position after a violent coup and remains unrecognized by Russia, told AFP in an exclusive interview saying Ukraine will not attempt a military move to prevent the southern Crimean peninsula's breakaway in order not to expose its eastern border.

From AFP:

"We cannot launch a military operation in Crimea, as we would expose the eastern border and Ukraine would not be protected," Turchynov said, as Crimea prepares to vote in a referendum Sunday on becoming part of Russia.

Crimea's upcoming referendum is a "sham" whose results will be fixed in Moscow, Turchynov told AFP.

"What they call the referendum will not happen in Crimea but in the offices of the Kremlin," Turchynov said ahead of Sunday's vote and hours after the pro-Russian authorities in Crimea voted for full independence from Ukraine.

So with Crimea down, as Putin prepares for his strategic endgoal - splitting the country in two and annexing the East in an identical fashion - the US strikes back:

HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION SEEKING SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA
HOUSE VOTES 402-7 FOR NON-BINDING RESOLUTION ON UKRAINE

Surelt this time Putin will lose some sleep, perhaps over all the laughter. Or perhaps from constantly repeating "if you want your sanctions, you can keep your sanctions."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-11/russia-warns-us-against-illegal-ukraine-bailout-ukraine-commences-live-fire-drill-ta

Russia Warns US Against "Illegal" Ukraine Bailout; Ukraine Commences Live-Fire "Drill" With Tanks

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/11/2014 13:34 -0400

Ukraine

The tit-for-tat sabre-rattling and rhetoric continues to build ahead of this weekend's planned referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region. This morning has seen 3 new threads beginning with Ukraine's "live-fire" exercises involving T-64B tanks. This was then followed by warnings from Russia of "consequences" of "unconditionally indulging radical elements" in Ukraine calling US financial aid "illegal" which was swiftly responded to by the State Department exclaiming it"unacceptable" that Russian forces take matters into their own hands and "do not create the right environment for diplomacy." Not positive...

Ukraine did its own sabre-rattling:

*T-64B TANKS INVOLVED IN EXERCISE, LIVE-FIRE TRAINING: MINISTRY

The Russians are not happy

Russia says planned US financial aid to Ukraine is illegal

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that planned U.S. financial aid to Ukraine is illegal and outside American legal norms since it would be funding an illegitimate regime.

"By all criteria, issuing funding to an illegitimate regime that seized power by force is unlawful and goes beyond the framework of the American legal system," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement echoed assertions made earlier in the day by ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich. The ministry also warned Washington about the consequences of "unconditionally indulging radical elements" in Ukraine.

And Kerry has his own perspective:

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS RUSSIAN RESPONSES TO U.S. QUESTIONS ON UKRAINE DO NOT CREATE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR DIPLOMACY

Kerry told Lavrov it is unacceptable that Russian forces and irregulars continue to take matters into their own hands in Ukraine

Of course, this remains a constant distraction from the fact that Russian boots are on the ground in Crimea and the US (and the West) are stuck with how to "off-ramp" the escalating Russian threats without sanctions that would blow-back on to their own economies.

And then Merkel chipped in...

*MERKEL SAYS RUSSIA IS ANNEXING CRIMEA, PARTY OFFICIAL SAYS

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-11/diplomacy-fails-ukraine-putin-rebuffs-kerry-proposal-kiev-issues-ultimatum-crimea-su

Diplomacy Fails In Ukraine: Putin Slams Kerry Plan, Kiev Issues Ultimatum, Crimea Suspends All Non-Moscow Flights

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/11/2014 08:01 -0400

While it may have been pushed back from the front pages to keep confidence high, things in the Crimea, and in Ukraine in general (which may or may not waved goodbye to its gold reserves) are going from bad to worse with every passing day, with the near term catalyst of course being this Sunday Crimean referendum vote, which seems like a done deal, and which will give Russia a carte blanche to annex the territory over the howls of protest from Ukraine's coup government, and the west of course.

Making this outcome one step clower, overnight the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted an independence declaration from Ukraine which is necessary for holding a March 16 referendum.

“We, the members of the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council, with regard to the charter of the United Nations and a whole range of other international documents and taking into consideration the confirmation of the status of Kosovo by the United Nations International Court of Justice on July, 22, 2010, which says that unilateral declaration of independence by a part of the country doesn’t violate any international norms, make this decision,”says the text of the declaration, which was published by the Crimean media.

As RT reports, the document was adopted during an extraordinary session of parliament. 78 of 100 members of the parliament voted in favor of the declaration.

The Crimean parliament’s vote to become an independent sovereign state paves the way for the March 16 referendum for the Crimean Autonomous Republic and the city of Sevastopol to join Russia. If the referendum is in favor, the Crimean authorities will request for their country to become a constituent republic of the Russian Federation. The declaration was signed by the speaker of the Supreme Council of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, and the head of the Sevastopol City Council, Yury Doynikov.

“We adopted the declaration of independence to make the upcoming referendum legitimate and transparent,” Konstantinov said. “Now we declare ourselves the Republic of Crimea, we don’t add ‘autonomous."

After Tuesday’s declaration of independence, Crimea will never rejoin Ukraine, Konstantinov added. He said that Crimea will adopt the Russian ruble as its currency soon after the referendum.

Not unexpectedly, the west, and Ukraine specifically, continue to make loud noises over the referendum, with the latest development is Kiev sending an ultimatum to Crimea. Guardian reports that "Ukraine's parliament has warned the regional assembly in Crimea that it faces dissolution unless it cancels a referendum it has called to join the region to Russia."

A resolution, supported by a parliamentary vote, gave the Crimean parliament until Wednesday to call off the referendum, due to take place on Sunday. The Crimean parliament on Tuesday passed a motion stating that it would become independent in the event of a yes vote and then seek to join the Russian Federation, arguing that "the unilateral declaration of independence of part of a state does not violate any international laws".

There is the minor matter of enforcing this ultimatum in a territory largely controlled by Russian forces:

Also on Tuesday, the acting Ukrainian president, Oleksander Turchinov, announced that a new national guard would be formed in response to Russian attempts to annex Crimea.

Turchinov said mismanagement of the armed forces under former president Viktor Yanukovych meant that the Ukrainian military had to be rebuilt "effectively from scratch". The acting defence minister said the country had only 6,000 combat-ready infantry compared with more than 200,000 Russian troops on its eastern borders.

Good luck with that.

But aside from the actual area of physical confrontation, the real conflict continues behind the scenes. It is here that we find Russia president Putin has apparently rejected a U.S. proposal to resolve the dispute over Ukraine that had been put forward by Secretary of State John Kerry over the past week, according to senior Russian and U.S. officials. WSJ reportedthat "Mr. Putin's decision led Mr. Kerry to put off a Russian invitation to meet Mr. Putin in Russia, as early as the beginning of this week in Sochi, to discuss the Ukraine crisis, according to these officials."

Moscow and Washington on Monday each blamed the other for the diplomatic stumble and for failing to defuse the most serious U.S.-Russian standoff since the end of the Cold War.

Residents of the Crimean region of Ukraine are scheduled to vote Sunday on whether to secede from their country and join the Russian federation.

Despite the setback, U.S. and Russian officials stressed Monday that discussions on the former Soviet state were ongoing. The State Department didn't rule out Mr. Kerry visiting Moscow to meet Mr. Putin.

"The United States needs to see concrete evidence that Russia is prepared to engage on the diplomatic proposals we have made to facilitate direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said.

Send in the Kerry again perhaps? Speaking of political cadavers, ousted Ukraine president Yanukovich, whose political future even Putin said is over, appeared on TV earlier today and reminded everyone he was still the legitimate leader:

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said in a televised press conference that he is still the legitimate leader of the country. It was his second statement made from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don where he fled to when he was removed from power by the Ukrainian Parliament.

“I want to remind you that I am not only still the legitimate president of Ukraine but also the supreme commander of the army and I haven’t stopped my duties as president early – I am still alive.”

He took no questions from the press after his speech.

Yanukovych claimed that he was still the legitimate leader of Ukraine and that he fled Ukraine because of a direct threat to his and his family’s lives.

He added he would return to Ukraine soon.

He called the upcoming May 25 presidential election “illegal” and said that any government voted in would also be unconstitutional

He said the US and West should not be backing or funding the new “bandit” government which had carried out an illegal coup d’etat.

And then there is everything else. Reading Reuters:

A pro-Russian force opened fire in seizing a Ukrainian military base in Crimea on Monday and NATO announced reconnaissance flights along its eastern frontiers as confrontation around the Black Sea peninsula showed no sign of easing. Ukrainian activists trying to cross into Crimea to show solidarity with opponents of last week's Russian military takeover there said they were halted by men in uniforms of the now outlawed riot police. One of these fired at close range, hitting a man in the chest, apparently with rubber bullets.

With diplomacy at a standstill, Russia said the United States had spurned an invitation to hold new talks on resolving the crisis, the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War - although Washington said later a meeting of foreign ministers was possible this week, if Moscow shows it is ready to "engage".

The U.S.-led NATO defense alliance said AWACS early warning aircraft, once designed to counter feared Soviet nuclear missile strikes, would start reconnaissance flights on Tuesday over Poland and Romania to monitor the situation in Ukraine, flying from bases in Germany and Britain.

The United States on Tuesday will also begin previously planned military training exercises in the region, the first since the Russian intervention in Crimea. A U.S. Navy destroyer will participate in maneuvers with Romanian and Bulgarian warships in the Black Sea, across from Crimea. In Poland, U.S. fighter jets will take part in joint exercises.

* * *

On Monday, a Ukrainian defense official said a Russian-led military force of about a dozen men fired in the air as they took control of a Ukrainian naval base near the town of Bakhchisaray, though no one was hurt.

The force was accompanied by the base's Ukrainian commander. He persuaded a number of his men to join the Russian forces while allowing others who refused to leave, the Ukrainian official, Vladislav Seleznyov wrote on Facebook. The Russian force later drove off with nine Ukrainian vehicles.

Yarik Alexandrov, one of the Ukrainian naval personnel who refused to pledge allegiance to Moscow, told Reuters near the base that he and his comrades at first refused to surrender. "Then they started shooting round our feet and we surrendered," he said. "What could we do? We had no weapons."

Similar small confrontations have taken place at other Ukrainian bases around Crimea, although shooting has been rare and there has so far been no bloodshed. Russia denies its troops are involved - a stance ridiculed in Kiev and the West.

In a sign of the peninsula's growing isolation from the Ukrainian mainland, armed men prevented a convoy of cars from a Ukrainian activist group crossing into Crimea.

The group was part of the Maidan movement behind the protests that forced Yanukovich to flee to Russia. Ukrainian television showed men in the uniform of the Berkut riot police, banned by the new authorities for its role in shooting dozens of demonstrators in Kiev last month, blocking the road south.

One was shown firing twice, hitting a man in the chest. His injuries appeared minor, suggesting the use of rubber bullets.

In other armed action, Russian forces took over a military hospital and a missile unit. Reuters correspondents also saw a big Russian convoy on the move just outside the port city of Sevastopol near a Ukrainian air defense base.

It comprised more than 100 vehicles, including around 20 armored personnel carriers, plus mobile artillery.

In conclusion, just so there is no confusion about who is in charge of Crimea...

#BREAKING All flights to Crimea airport suspended except from Moscow @AFP

7:42 AM - 11 Mar 2014

And....

Crimea parliament declares independence from Ukraine ahead of referendum

Published time: March 11, 2014 10:30
Edited time: March 11, 2014 12:01

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A woman walking by a poster calling people to vote in the upcoming referendum, in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol (Reuters / Baz Ratner)

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The parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has adopted an independence declaration from Ukraine which is necessary for holding a March 16 referendum.

“We, the members of the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council, with regard to the charter of the United Nations and a whole range of other international documents and taking into consideration the confirmation of the status of Kosovo by the United Nations International Court of Justice on July, 22, 2010, which says that unilateral declaration of independence by a part of the country doesn’t violate any international norms, make this decision,” says the text of the declaration, which was published by the Crimean media.

The document was adopted during an extraordinary session of parliament.

78 of 100 members of the parliament voted in favor of the declaration.

The Crimean parliament’s vote to become an independent sovereign state paves the way for the March 16 referendum for the Crimean Autonomous Republic and the city of Sevastopol to join Russia.

Crimea parliament voted for the declaration of independence, ahead of a secession referendum 

6:24 AM - 11 Mar 2014

If the referendum is in favor, the Crimean authorities will request for their country to become a constituent republic of the Russian Federation.

The declaration was signed by the speaker of the Supreme Council of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, and the head of the Sevastopol City Council, Yury Doynikov.

“We adopted the declaration of independence to make the upcoming referendum legitimate and transparent,” Konstantinov said.

“Now we declare ourselves the Republic of Crimea, we don’t add ‘autonomous."

After Tuesday’s declaration of independence, Crimea will never rejoin Ukraine, Konstantinov added.

“Crimea won’t be a part of Ukraine even if the ousted president, Viktor Yanukovich, returns to power,” he said. “The country where we lived doesn’t exist anymore. We are going our own way and we’re trying to do it quickly.”

Konstantinov said that Crimea will adopt the Russian ruble as its currency soon after the referendum.

Meanwhile, Crimean authorities are preparing for Sunday’s poll, says the speaker of the Supreme Council of Crimea. He reiterated that he believes the referendum will be passed.

“The ballots for the referendum are being printed and the election committees are being formed in all parts of Crimea," he says.

Seventy-seven percent of people in Crimea and Sevastopol will vote to join Russia in the March 16 referendum, according to the poll conducted by Crimea Republican Institute of Political and Sociological Research.

Eighty-five percent of people in Sevastopol, a city with a special status located on the Crimean peninsula, believe that it should join Russia.

According to the poll, 97 percent of the population of Sevastopol and Crimea negatively view the situation in Ukraine regarding the Kiev coup-imposed government, while 84 percent say that Ukraine is experiencing a crisis.

A total of 83 percent of the population of Crimea disapprove of the coup-appointed government in Kiev, the poll found.

http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashes-rioters-police-571/

Tuesday, March 11

22:21 GMT:

If Crimea votes to become part of Russia, the Republic of Crimea, Moscow is willing to grant financial assistance from the Reserve Fund in the amount of more than 30 billion rubles, wrote "Izvestia", citing a source in the Ministry of Finance of Russia.

"If Crimea is a part of Russia, the money will be allocated to them as well as to the other regions, but for this budget code change is needed,” the source told the publication. “The amount has not yet confirmed, since a referendum is taking place on March 16."

The source also added that Russian state-run program budget will not suffer from Crimea’s decision and that the finances will come from Russia’s Reserve Fund. Crimea would be expected to adjust the average salary, pension’s payments and other social benefits to the average data of the Russian Federation.

Earlier it was reported that nearly 100 million rubles will be allocated to other cities in the region including Alushta, Yalta and Sudak to tackle social problems.

22:17 GMT:

The presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko held a telephone conversation where they discussed Ukraine, press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov confirmed.

He did not comment on whether both leaders discussed possible joint efforts in terms of the Ukrainian crisis.

22:11 GMT:

A draft resolution to postpone Ukrainian presidential elections scheduled for May 25 to December 7, has been introduced in Ukrainian parliament by an MP from the former ruling Party of Regions Evgeny Muraev, Ria reports.

21:57 GMT:

Ukrainian Party of Regions decided to postpone its party congress by a week, MP Sergey Tihipko told local a local TV channel.

At the upcoming Party Congress deputies will seek to nominate a candidate to run in the Ukrainian presidential elections scheduled for May 25.

21:34 GMT:

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) voiced concern about Kiev’s push to ban some Russian television channels’ from being transmitted by cable operators in Ukraine

“I repeat my call to the authorities not to initiate these repressive measures,” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović. “Banning programming without a legal basis is a form of censorship; national security concerns should not be used at the expense of media freedom.”

21:13 GMT:

Tens of thousands of people have rallied on Tuesday all across Russia in support of the Crimean people and their right for self-determination. Peaceful rallies in over a dozen of cities went without any incidents, local authorities said.

20:39 GMT:

Former head of Kharkov Regional State Administration Mikhail Dobkin has been placed under house arrest in Kiev on suspicion of inciting provocations against the territorial integrity of Ukraine, local media reports. Dobkin said that he intends to appeal the decision by a Kiev court as he still intends to run for president in May.

20:11 GMT:

Asked about the impact of the Crimea crisis on co-operation between US and Russia on other international issues, White House Press Secretary told journalists that the countries are still continuing to work closely on Syria’s chemical weapons disarmament, and negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

19:58 GMT:

OSCE President Didier Burkhalter has declared the Crimea referendum “illegal”, and says that his organization will not be able to observe it. Burkhalter, who is also the President of Switzerland, told journalists in Bern that the constitutional framework for the vote had not been agreed, and said any OSCE presence would have to be agreed by Kiev, which has not endorsed the Sunday poll. Burkhalter said that Crimea’s “legitimate” secession could take “months or even years”, and suggested that a working group encompassing all interested parties should be formed.

18:59 GMT:

Republican Senator John McCain will lead a delegation of five members of Congress on a visit of Kiev between March 14 and 16, according to Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Evgeny Perebyinis. The Arizona representative, who has voiced strong support for the new regime in Kiev, will meet with acting President Aleksandr Turchinov, and acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

18:22 GMT:

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) says it will not observe the referendum in Crimea on March 16.

“ODIHR has not received an invitation to attend the referendum in Crimea, and therefore does not currently plan to send observers there,” ODIHR spokesman Thomas Rhymer told ITAR-TASS news agency.

Earlier Rhymer told Russia’s RIA news agency that his organization would consider an invitation, as it has a mandate to attend an election in any OSCE member state. Both Ukraine and Russia belong to the organization.

17:00 GMT:

Prosecutors have opened a criminal case against Kharkov mayor Gennady Kernes on suspicion of torture, kidnapping and making death threats, Interfax-Ukraine reported. A criminal case has been launched, but Kernes says he does not know who initiated it. He said the case was fabricated and suggested it could be “political revenge by those who head law enforcement.”

“This case was fabricated by the police led by Arsen Avakov, the coup-appointed Interior Minister. He repeatedly stressed that having such a position he will be taking revenge with me and Mikhail Dobkin,”Kernes said.

Pro-Russian former Kharkov Governor Mikhail Dobkin was arrested in Kiev on charges of “inciting violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and anti-constitutional behavior," his lawyer Yulia Pletneva said.

16:42 GMT:

Moscow is hoping that the OSCE will present a rapid and impartial assessment of the facts about violations of the rights of journalists in Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

“The Russian foreign Ministry is concerned about the facts of limitation of the freedom of the media and violations of the rights of journalists covering the events in Ukraine. Media workers are subjected to psychological pressure and violence in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities,” the ministry said in a statement. It also recalled the case of a Russian correspondent who was reportedly threatened with physical violence by Ukrainian nationalists, who offered a cash reward for his capture.

15:02 GMT:

Russia has said that the Crimean parliament’s decision to adopt an independence declaration from Ukraine is absolutely legitimate, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Russia also stressed that it would respect the results of the referendum.

14:31 GMT:

A rally to support the people of Ukraine has gathered over 5,000 people in the Russian city of Orenburg not far from the Kazakhstan’s border, Itar-Tass news agency reports.

Members of various local groups took part in the demonstration, which went off without incident, police said.

14:05 GMT:

Deeds to property and real estate ownership on the Crimean peninsula issued by the Ukrainian government will be reissued for free, Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov said after the local parliament declared the republic’s independence from Kiev on Tuesday.

“I can promise to all Crimean citizens that everyone who today has state shares in land or real estate property as well as any other Ukrainian state papers, will have them reissued for free using funds from the Crimean budget,” Kryminform news agency reported Aksyonov as saying.

He said there would be no seizure of private property by Crimean authorities.

13:14 GMT:

The coup-appointed government in Kiev has demanded that the country’s cable and other TV providers stop broadcasting a range of Russian channels, including Vesti, Rossiya 24 and Channel One, by 7pm Tuesday, Ukraine’s National Council on Television and Radio said in a statement issued by its press service.

According to the press service, over 50 providers have already stopped broadcasting these Russian channels.

13:09 GMT:

The meeting of foreign ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) which was scheduled to be held March 12 in Kiev will not now take place, Ukraine’s representative in the CIS, Ivan Bunechko, told the RIA Novosti news agency.

“The majorities of CIS member states have not confirmed their participation,” he said.

12:21 GMT:

Ukraine is seeking to create a National Guard and mobilize military veterans who already have experience of service in the armed forces, coup-appointed President Aleksandr Turchynov said.

"It's necessary to create the National Guard on the basis of the Ukrainian Troops, whose purpose will be to protect the country and citizens against all criminals, external and internal aggression. It's necessary to announce partial mobilization into the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine," he said during a morning plenary meeting of parliament.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said it will provide all urgent needs of the Ukrainian National Guard, which he National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine approved today.

“We have our armed forces fully operational; we carried out training and have a clear understanding of our armed forces’ condition. We are starting to restore the army,” Turchynov said.

Ukraine will also turn to security guarantors for technical and military aid.

“The parliament’s primary task is to ask countries that are guarantors of our security to fulfill their commitments,” he said.

11:47 GMT:

No additional laws are needed to be passed in case Crimea votes to join Russia, a member of the ruling United Russia party, Sergey Zheleznyak, said.

"From the point of view of the current Constitution and the current legislation of the Russian Federation, there are no obstacles for joining territories of other countries as new subjects of the Russian Federation," he told journalists.

11:43 GMT:

The website ‘Referendum 2014’, which is dedicated to the March 16 2014 referendum on the status of Crimea, has reportedly undergone Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS). Activists tasked with maintaining the site said the “massive” attacks were directed from both the United States and Ukraine, Interfax news agency reports.

The site founders had initially opened the site with the .ua Ukrainian domain before switching over to a Russian domain. They accused Kiev of attempting to “restrict freedom of speech.”

“On the night of March 11, 2014, our [site] was subject to DDoS attacks and was blocked twice over.”

They said the site has been moved to the page http://referendum2014.ru.

11:20 GMT:

Kiev's appointment of several oligarchs to top public offices has not been welcomed by some members of the European Parliament.

“A government structure cannot be formed in this way,” said Austrian Social Democratic MEP Hannes Swoboda in Strasbourg, adding that Kiev must show Ukrainians that it is taking real steps to combat corruption.

Last week the coup-imposed government in Kiev appointed two of Ukraine's wealthiest men, Igor Kolomoysky and Sergey Taruta, as governors of Dniepropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, both located in largely pro-Russian eastern Ukraine.

One of the reasons of mass protests against President Viktor Yanukovich was the perceived corruption of his administration, in which rich businessmen close to the government allegedly obtained privileges from it.

10:30 GMT:

The Crimean Parliament has passed a resolution regarding the restitution of rights of the Crimean Tatars and their integration into Crimean society, a spokesperson has told Itar-Tass.

The ethnic population has received assurance that the Crimean Tatar language shall receive official status alongside Russian and Ukrainian, as well as representation of the people at the city and area levels and the creation of organs for self-government.

08:49 GMT:

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday the European Union would rather avoid confrontation with Russia over its incursion into Ukrainian territory in Crimea but would have to prepare an EU response if Moscow doesn't back down.

"If the weekend passes without a visible change in Russia's conduct, then on Monday in the European Council we will have to discuss a next stage of measures," he said on a visit to the Baltic states, all EU members who are worried about Ukraine.

"We don't want confrontation but the action of the Russian side unfortunately makes it necessary for us to prepare, as I have just outlined to you," Steinmeier told reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn. (Reuters)

08:23 GMT:

The parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea welcomes the mission of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the referendum on the region’s future on March 16, but didn’t send an official invitation to the organization, said Crimea’s Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev.

“We are ready to meet the members of OSCE but as advisers, not as military experts or provocateurs, especially if they are representatives from NATO member-states,” added Temirgaliev.

According to Crimean Deputy PM, the peninsula authorities also invited the representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for the referendum on March 16.

07:41 GMT:

Crimea expects Russia to provide a $1 billion package of financial aid over several months, Deputy PM Rustam Temirgaliev told Interfax. The money would allow the Ukrainian region's authorities to pay salaries and pensions amid its stand-off with the coup-imposed government in Kiev.

Earlier Kiev blocked Crimea's access to financial electronic databases hosted in the capital, which prompted Crimea to start transition to the Russian financial system. The region will also not pay taxes to the central government starting with March, citing Kiev's failure to transfer due payments to the regional budget.

07:27 GMT:

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Tuesday that sanctions against Russia over Ukraine could be imposed as early as this week if Moscow fails to respond to a proposition designed to calm the crisis.

Fabius told the radio station France Inter that a referendum in the Crimea region on joining Russia set for March 16 was illegitimate and that the annexation of the region by Russia would be illegal.

"The only legitimate vote is that of May 25 for the president of the republic in Ukraine. The vote of March 16 has no legitimacy," Fabius said. (Reuters)

07:01 GMT:

Russia’s State Duma will consider the question of the Autonomous republic of Crimea joining Russia on March 21.

The law which approves the transition of new territories to Russian federation was introduced by the Fair Russia party.

According to the initiators of the law “there is no effective sovereign power in Ukraine which could protect the rights and freedoms of its civilians.”

“Inclusion of any territory to Russia will take place after the referendum of the region which wants to be a part of the Russia,” add Fair Russia officials.

Crimea has scheduled a referendum for March 16 on whether it wants to remain part of Ukraine or join Russia.

Victor #Yanukovich to make statement at 9am GMT today http://on.rt.com/xhz2zu  #Ukraine

2:18 AM - 11 Mar 2014

Ukraine turmoil LIVE UPDATES

The Ukrainian crisis has intensified as several regions in the east and south defied the self-proclaimed government in Kiev. Russia reserved the right to send its military to its neighbor to protect...

RT @RT_com

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/11/ukraine-parliament-ultimatum-crimea-referendum

Ukraine parliament delivers ultimatum to Crimea over referendum

Crimean assembly told to call off independence referendum or face dissolution, as US attempts at diplomacy stall

Anti-Nato poster in Sevastopol: the Crimean parliament says it seek to join the Russian Federation in the event of a yes vote. Photograph: Zurab Kurtsikidze/EPA

Ukraine's parliament has warned the regional assembly in Crimea that it faces dissolution unless it cancels a referendum it has called to join the region to Russia.

Also on Tuesday, the acting Ukrainian president, Oleksander Turchinov, announced that a new national guard would be formed in response to Russian attempts to annex Crimea.

Turchinov said mismanagement of the armed forces under former president Viktor Yanukovych meant that the Ukrainian military had to be rebuilt "effectively from scratch". The acting defence minister said the country had only 6,000 combat-ready infantry compared with more than 200,000 Russian troops on its eastern borders.

Hopes of a diplomatic solution to the crisis were dealt a blow after the US secretary of state, John Kerry, abandoned a visit to Moscow to discuss the crisis and the US and Russia traded accusations over who was to blame.

As western officials prepared to meet in London on Tuesday to identify Russians who will be subject to asset freezes and travel bans that they hope will persuade Moscow to withdraw its presence from Crimea, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, sought to ratchet up the pressure by warning that sanctions could be imposed as early as this week.

So far, Russia has paid little heed to criticism from the west. Its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow was preparing counter-proposals to a US plan for a negotiated solution to the crisis. Lavrov said Russia had been prepared to receive Kerry on Monday but the US secretary of state called him on Saturday to postpone his visit.

However, in Washington, state department officials said it was Russia's refusal to discuss the US proposals that was hurting prospects for a negotiated solution, in particular the idea of direct talks between Russian officials and those of the new Ukrainian government.

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement: "Secretary Kerry made clear to foreign minister Lavrov that he would welcome further discussions focused on how to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine if and when we see concrete evidence that Russia is prepared to engage on these proposals."

With little sign that Moscow is prepared to change its position and a potential flashpoint approaching in the shape of Sunday's contentious referendum on whether Crimea should split off and become part of its eastern neighbour, Fabius raised the threat of imminent sanctions in another attempt to get Russia to engage in constructive dialogue.

"If they respond positively [to the proposals], John Kerry will go to Moscow, and then sanctions will not be immediate," he said on France Inter radio. "If they do not respond or if they respond negatively, there will be a series of sanctions that could be taken as early as this week."

The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was more cautious, maintaining that the EU would rather avoid confrontation with Russia. He set a deadline of the weekend for "a visible change in Russia's conduct", warning that otherwise measures would be discussed at the European council on Monday.

Yanukovych, who says he fled to Russia in fear for his life and his family, said on Tuesday, that the armed forces, who were on alert after pro-Russian forces seized the Crimean peninsula, would refuse to follow "criminal orders" from Kiev in the event of conflict. He said Crimea was breaking away from Ukraine, blaming opponents who forced him from power for developments on the Black Sea peninsula.

"I am certain the officers and soldiers of Ukraine … know what you are worth and will not carry out your criminal orders," he said. Yanukovych maintained that he was the country's legitimate president and commander-in-chief and said that American financial aid to Ukraine would be illegal, arguing that US law did not allow the government to aid "bandits".

Catharsis Ours

Tuesday, March 11, 2014