Ukraine soldiers ‘repel’ Russians on Crimean border
One day before Crimeans vote on whether to join Russia, and two weeks after Russian soldiers occupied the region, a confrontation breaks out on the Ukrainian land bordering Crimea.
Ukrainian soldiers repelled a force of 60 Russian paratroopers from a region just outside the border of Crimea, reports on Saturday said. It comes one day before the Crimeans vote on whether to split from Ukraine to join Russia, a vote that the UN today declared invalid.
There have been tensions inside Crimea since Russia invaded the region with standoffs between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, and riots at street protests both for and against Russian presence in the country. But the Russian action this morning was the first reported skirmish outside the territory of Crimea.
Russian paratroopers drop outside Crimea
The Russian army sent a small number of paratroopers on some land on the Ukrainian side of the border this morning and started erecting roadblocks, reports say.
Ukraine’s military scrambled aircraft and paratroops to push back the Russian forces.
“Units of Ukraine’s armed forces today…repelled an attempt by servicemen of the armed forces of the Russian Federation to enter the territory of Kherson region on Arbatskaya Strelka,” a ministry statement said. “This was repelled immediately.”
The territory in question is a long spit of land running parallel to the east of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula.
Deeper into Ukraine?
The action, together with a statement from the Kremlin today that Russia was considering “appeals” to defend Russian citizens led to fears that Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine may extend beyond Crimea.
“Russia is receiving numerous appeals with requests for the defence of peaceful citizens. These appeals will be considered,” the Russian foreign ministry statement said.
Vote: “absolutely certain” Crimea will vote for Russia
The military incursion deeper into Ukraine comes the day before the Ukrainian region of Crimea votes on whether it will join Russia.
It is a referendum that the new prime minister of Crimea is “absolutely certain” will result in the incorporation of Crimea into the Russian Federation. Sergei Aksyonov, Crimea’s de facto prime minister, told the Guardian that he expected the Russian rouble will be in circulation in Crimea within days.
There has been a steady stream of street protests in Crimea, and eastern Ukraine. And yesterday in Moscow there were protests both for and against interference in Crimea.
UN declare referendum ‘invalid’
On the international stage, the Russian invasion has triggered the worst East/West relations since the Cold War. On Saturday Russia vetoed a UN resolution declaring tomorrow’s Crimea vote invalid.
On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry called the vote illegal.
The UK embassy to the UN had this to say on Twitter:
Position of int’l community is clear. If referendum is held tomorrow it will have no validity, no credibility & no recognition – @LyallGrant
— UKUN_NewYork (@UKUN_NewYork) March 15, 2014
US: Sanctions and a threat
As the diplomatic divide hardens, the US has also flexed its muscle in the region by taking one of its warships, the USS Truxtun, a guided-missile destroyer on more excercises in the Black Sea.
France’s President Hollande has said he will consider sanctions against Russia escalating up to severing all military co-operation and cancelling major defence contracts including a 1.2bn EUR contract for helicopter carriers.