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On Monday, Russia's parliamentary speaker said Moscow had the "right" to launch military action in Ukraine. However, the crisis had not escalated to that point yet, said Sergei Naryshkin."The decision by the Federal Council (upper house) just gives the right and this right can be used in case it is necessary. But currently [it] is not necessary," Naryshkin on Russian state television.
Naryshkin's comment followed closely after Russian news agency Interfax said the country's Black Sea Fleet had issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces in the Crimean peninsula to surrender by 5 a.m. local time (0300 UTC) on Tuesday. The Black Sea Fleet has since it had issued a deadline with the threat of an assault, according to Interfax, who had originally been quoting an unnamed Ukrainian official.
Russia requests UN Security Council session
Meanwhile, Russia has requested an extraordinary UN Security Council session to deliberate on Ukraine. The meeting is to take place on Monday at 3:30 p.m. local New York time (2030 UTC).
According to US sources, #link:17468701:Russian troops are now in control of Crimea, with more than 6,000 troops stationed on the Black Sea peninsula.
Spiegel Online
In the days after Yanukovych's fall, the Ukrainian president's lavish lifestyle spurred outrage around the world. Now the provisional government is struggling to avoid the corruption and clientelism that plagued its predecessors.It was 11:37 a.m. last Wednesday when Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's wealthiest and most powerful oligarch, released a statement: "Like all Ukrainians, we want to create a new country in which democracy and the rule of law are supreme. We will participate in the blossoming of Ukraine."
Akhmetov, who controls more than 100 companies with 300,000 employees, was a close confidant of toppled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. In contrast to many others of his standing, he remained in the country and his statement was a clear indication that he had switched allegiances to the new government in Ukraine. It was received with a sigh of relief in Kiev.
Reuters Russia paid a heavy financial price on Monday for its military intervention in neighboring Ukraine, with stocks, bonds and the rouble plunging as President Vladimir Putin's forces tightened their grip on the Russian-speaking Crimea region.The Moscow stock market fell by 11.3 percent, wiping nearly $60 billion off the value of Russian companies in a day, and the central bank spent $10 billion of its reserves to prop up the rouble as investors took fright at escalating tensions with the West over the former Soviet republic.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden warned Moscow of "increasing political and economic isolation" if it did not withdraw troops and the European Union threatened unspecified "targeted measures" unless Russia returns its forces to their bases and opens talks with Ukraine's new government.
In his first public appearance for nearly a week, Putin flew to watch military maneuvers in western Russia in what appeared designed as a show of strength.
NPR
Update at 12:45 p.m. ET: "Total Nonsense," Russian Official Reportedly Says:Any claims that the Russian military has warned Ukraine to surrender in Crimea or face an assault on Tuesday are "total nonsense," a Russian Defense Ministry official says, according to The Voice of Russia.
The unidentified official turned the accusation back at Ukraine, saying that "we are used to daily accusations about using force against our Ukrainian colleagues. ... Efforts to make us clash won't work."
As we said earlier, accounts often vary in situations such as this when news is breaking. We'll keep an eye out for changes in the story.
Our original post — Reports: Russia Issues Ultimatum, Warns Ukraine Of 'Storm':
Russia has reportedly given Ukraine an ultimatum — surrender Crimea by early Tuesday morning or face a full-on military assault across the strategically important peninsula.
The exact wording of the warning varies by news outlet, most likely because of differences in translations:
—"Russia Delivers 'Assault Storm' Deadline." (Sky News)
—"Russia has issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces in the Crimea to clear out by 5 a.m. Tuesday or face a 'military storm.'" (CNN)
—"Surrender or Face 'Storm,' Russia Reportedly Tells Ukraine." (NBC News)
The allure of the West has helped shape Russian history since Peter the Great three centuries ago. Now it’s testing even older bonds with its neighbor, Ukraine. President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in a violent rebellion as the country’s pro-European western provinces set their sights on a decisive break from the nation’s Soviet past. In response, Russia seized control of the country’s Black Sea region of Crimea, home to its largest overseas naval base, triggering the tensest standoff between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.Ukrainian lawmakers voted to hold elections May 25 when they removed Yanukovych, whose victory in a rigged election 10 years ago triggered the pro-democracy Orange Revolution. His snub of a free-trade pact with the European Union prompted protesters to pitch camp in central Kiev in November to demand a change of course. The conflict escalated into street battles in February, leaving at least 82 people dead.