Ukraine's interim national government declared that Crimea's parliament is now dissolved and has no basis to make any decisions. Arrest warrants have already been put out for the leaders of the separatist movement.
However, it is unclear how Ukraine will enforce anything in Crimea with it under occupation by Russian forces. As many as fifty thousand Russian troops are now in the region, with two hundred and fifty thousand near Ukraine's eastern border.
On Tuesday, Ukraine announced the formation of a new National Guard, which will be compromised of their veteran troops and the best equipment. The government called upon the US, UK, and NATO to aid them militarily as they are outmatched by the Russian forces.
NATO did begin flying AWACs over the eastern borders of the alliances' territory. This allows them sight over Ukraine and part of southwest Russia to look for any attempts to send Russian troops into eastern Ukraine.
Russia continues to deny it is their troops in Crimea, noting that they do not have any kind of Russian insignia or unit markings, and claims that they are militia from within the Crimea. Despite their attempts at denial, it is clear they are Russian due to the numbers, weaponry, quality of training, and that they speak Russian. Various news sources have also caught them crossing over from Russia.
Monday saw the troops begin clearing out besieged Ukrainian bases, which had previously been disarmed. This continued on Tuesday, though they seem to be only taking over a couple bases per day. However, by the end of the week none of the bases will remain Ukrainian.
Militias are still maintaining a presence along the region's border, keeping international observers and everyday Ukrainians out. However, reports have come that in some cases they are kidnapping Ukrainian activists and reporters who attempt to cross over. In all known cases they were women in their twenties.
No comments:
Post a Comment