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Friday 7 March 2014

Russian Navy scuttles warship in Black Sea to BLOCK Ukrainian vessels leaving Crimea port as region's parliament says referendum on joining Russia will be held next week

Barrier: A Ukrainian Navy officer looks at the Ochakov

The Russian Black Sea fleet has blockaded Ukrainian warships by scuttling an anti-submarine ship at the entrance to their port in Crimea.
Russian sailors scuttled the decommissioned warship Ochakov at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay, the location of Ukraine's Southern Naval Headquarters in the west of the peninsula.
It came as Crimea's parliament voted unanimously in favour of a snap referendum to decide whether the region should join the Russian Federation.


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People watch the Russian anti-submarine ship 'Ochakov' which was scuttled early Thursday by Russian forces at a Black Sea shore outside the town of Myrnyi, western Crimea
People watch the Russian anti-submarine ship 'Ochakov' which was scuttled early Thursday by Russian forces at a Black Sea shore outside the town of Myrnyi, western Crimea
|The wreck is now blockading access for five Ukrainian Naval vessels trapped inside of the Southern Naval Headquarters
|The wreck is now blockading access for five Ukrainian Naval vessels trapped inside of the Southern Naval Headquarters
Barrier: A Ukrainian Navy officer looks at the Ochakov, which is lying on its side in the water
Barrier: A Ukrainian Navy officer looks at the Ochakov, which is lying on its side in the water

A tug boat was escorted by a warship and several gun boats is it towed the Ochakov into position from a nearby naval junkyard, before Russian sailors set explosives to breach the vessel's hull.
Marines from the Ukrainian navy heard a loud explosion coming from the vessel in the early hours of last night, AP reported, and by this morning it was blocking their way out.
Ukraine Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Mazepa told the Los Angeles Times that he believed the act was intended to prevent Ukrainian ships going to sea.
The naval move came hours before Crimea's parliament voted to join Russia and its Moscow-backed government announced a referendum to put the decision to the region's people within 10 days.
 
The sudden acceleration of moves to bring Crimea, which has an ethnic Russian majority and has effectively been seized by Russian forces, formally under Moscow's rule came as European Union leaders urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to enter direct talks with the Ukrainian government, warning of 'far-reaching consequences' for relations with Moscow if there is any further escalation.
At emergency talks in Brussels, leaders of the group of 28 states agreed on a limited package of sanctions to take immediate effect with the threat of further measures - including asset freezes and travel bans - unless there was swift action to end the stand-off.
Sentinel: A member of the Ukrainian Navy stands guard on the Ukrainian navy ship Ternopil
Sentinel: A member of the Ukrainian Navy stands guard on the Ukrainian navy ship Ternopil
A Ukrainian Navy officer climbs a quay wall after disembarking from his Navy ship Slavutich, which he says is under blockade by Russian military vessels
A Ukrainian Navy officer climbs a quay wall after disembarking from his Navy ship Slavutich, which he says is under blockade by Russian military vessels

Earlier, the White House announced it would impose visa restrictions on Russians and Crimeans who it says are 'threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine'.
In addition, President Barack Obama has signed an executive order authorising sanctions against 'individuals and entities responsible for activities undermining democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine'.
Prime Minister David Cameron said that it was essential that Europe stood up to Russian aggression in Crimea which he described as a 'flagrant breach of international law'.
'Illegal actions committed by Russia cannot pass without a response. It cannot be business as usual with Russia,' he said.
'We know from our history that turning a blind eye when nations are trampled over and their independence trashed, that stores up up far greater problems for the long run.
'So we must stand up to aggression, we must uphold international law, and we should support people who want a free European future.'
Pro-Russian paramilitaries stand guard outside of a Ukrainian military base in the town of Perevevalne as a Ukrainian soldier looks on. Crimean officials have voted on a referendum over whether the region should join Russia
Pro-Russian paramilitaries stand guard outside of a Ukrainian military base in the town of Perevevalne as a Ukrainian soldier looks on. Crimean officials have voted on a referendum over whether the region should join Russia
A boy looks at uniformed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, near a Ukrainian military base. Crimean officials have voted on a referendum over whether the region should join Russia
A boy looks at uniformed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, near a Ukrainian military base. Crimean officials have voted on a referendum over whether the region should join Russia
A uniformed man, believed to be Russian servicemen, laughs with another soldier as they walk along a road near a Ukrainian military base in the village of Perevalnoye
A uniformed man, believed to be Russian servicemen, laughs with another soldier as they walk along a road near a Ukrainian military base in the village of Perevalnoye
The Crimean parliament voted unanimously 'to enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation' today
The Crimean parliament voted unanimously 'to enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation' today
The mood of the assembled leaders in Brussels appeared to have hardened after the parliament in Crimea voted unanimously 'to enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation'. The vice premier of Crimea, home to Russia's Black Sea military base in Sevastopol, said a referendum on the status would take place on March 16.
The decree making Crimea part of Russia is already in force and Ukrainian troops still on its territory will be treated as occupiers and forced to surrender or leave, the Russian-controlled region's deputy prime minister said.
'The only lawful armed force on the territory of the Crimea is the Russian armed forces,' Rustam Temirgaliev said.
Ukrainian police officers detain a topless activist of the Ukrainian women movement Femen, protesting against the war in front of Crimea's parliament during a pro-Russian rally in Simferopol
Ukrainian police officers detain a topless activist of the Ukrainian women movement Femen, protesting against the war in front of Crimea's parliament during a pro-Russian rally in Simferopol
Crackdown: A Ukrainian police officer (left) and a pro-Russian volunteer (right) detain a Femen activist
Crackdown: A Ukrainian police officer (left) and a pro-Russian volunteer (right) detain a Femen activist
There is anger about the pro-Russian stance from Crimean authorities among Ukrainians in the region
There is anger about the pro-Russian stance from Crimean authorities among Ukrainians in the region
Access denied: Members of Crimean self-defence units block one of the activists
Access denied: Members of Crimean self-defence units block one of the activists
Schism: Lawmakers in Crimea voted unanimously for the referendum
Schism: Lawmakers in Crimea voted unanimously for the referendum

'Armed forces of any third country are occupiers. The Ukrainian armed forces have to choose: lay down their weapons, quit their posts, accept Russian citizenship and join the Russian military.
'If they do not agree, we are prepared to offer them safe passage from the territory of Crimea to their Ukrainian homeland.'
In Moscow, a prominent member of Russia's parliament, Sergei Mironov, said he has introduced a bill to simplify the procedure for Crimea to join Russia and it could be passed as soon as next week, the state news agency ITAR-Tass reported.
The announcement on the vote, which diplomats said could not have been made without Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval, raised the stakes in the most serious east-west confrontation since the end of the Cold War.

Credit: Daily Mail

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