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NATO, EU Warn Russia Against Force As Ukraine On Alert

March 01, 2014
by RFE/RL

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov says he has ordered Ukraine's armed forces to be put on combat alert, as the European Union and NATO called on Russia not to deploy armed forces in Ukraine.

Turchynov's announcement, in a televised address, came after Russia's Federation Council upper house of parliament voted unanimously on March 1 to approve the use of Russian forces in Ukraine.

Turchynov said authorities were also increasing security around Ukrainian nuclear facilities, airports, and other 'strategic' facilities. He said there was no justification for what he called Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said any military intervention by Russia would mark the beginning of 'war.'

EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton called the Federation Council vote 'an unwarranted escalation of tensions.' She called on Russia not to dispatch troops, but to promote its views through 'peaceful means.'

Separately, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty. Rasmussen said NATO members are coordinating closely on the situation.

Britain, Germany, and France have also expressed concern over the vote by the Russian upper house to approve Russian military action in Ukraine

The European Union, meanwhile, said EU foreign ministers will hold urgent talks on the Ukrainian crisis on March 3.

In a written statement, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had summoned the Russian ambassador to London to express Britain's concerns over what he called a 'potentially grave threat' to Ukraine's sovereignty and independence.

A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany was following developments with concern.

The spokesman added Merkel had spoken by telephone to new Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Britain and Germany were among the European Union powers that joined the United States in supporting the pro-European movement that toppled pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych last week.

In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman said President Vladimir Putin had not yet made a decision on whether to send Russian troops to Ukraine.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any decision on sending Russian forces will depend on developments on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

Peskov said the March 1 vote by the Federation Council upper house of parliament authorizing the deployment of Russian forces to Ukraine gave Putin a full range of options to respond to the situation.

The spokesman added that Putin had made no decision in response to a request by lawmakers to recall the Russian ambassador to the United States to protest warnings from Washington against any Russian intervention in Ukraine.

Reacting to the Russian developments, Ukrainian pro-European leader Vitali Klitschko has called for parliament to mobilize the Ukrainian armed forces to counter what he called 'Russian aggression.'

And the United Nations Security Council said it planned to meet in an emergency session at 2 p.m. EST to discuss the situation.

Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh said Russia had sent 6,000 additional troops into Crimea, along with 30 armored personnel carriers, since February 28. He called this a blatant violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity.

Crimean has an ethnic Russian majority, and Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based at the Crimean port of Sevastopol, under a lease agreement with Ukraine.

Pro-Russian activists have cited the anti-Russian statements of some Ukrainian extremists to urge Russia's intervention in the crisis that has deepened since Yanukovych was overthrown and fled Kyiv one week ago.

In the past week, Crimea and other parts of eastern Ukraine have seen mass protest both in support of and against Russia.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, pro-Russian demonstrators took over the regional administration building, forcing their way in after firing tear gas and breaking windows.

A correspondent for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in Kharkiv said he was attacked by pro-Russian activists on March 1 while conducting a live video report from the building. The attackers accused him of doing 'wrong coverage.'

The correspondent, who does not want to be identified, said he was beaten and forced to kneel and kiss Russian symbols. The attack was stopped by the chairwoman of the Communist Party branch in Kharkiv, Alla Aleksandrovska. The journalist has reported the incident to the police.

The new pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea, Serhiy Aksyonov, has asked for help from Russia to restore calm after anti-Russian protesters stormed the Crimean parliament on February 26.

Aksyonov on March 1 also said he was, temporarily, taking personal control of Ukrainian military and police forces based in Crimea.

Ukrainian acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has issued a decree rejecting as illegal Aksyonov's appointment on February 27.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-west- concern-russian-troops/25281903.html

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NATO, EU Warn Russia Against Force As Ukraine On Alert