White House invites Ukrainian leader to visit as Russian forces cement grip on Crimea
(about 4 hours later)
SEVASTOPOL — Russian forces tightened their grip over Crimea on Sunday, surrounding a border guard post in the far western part of the peninsula as pro-Moscow and pro-Kiev protesters took to the streets.
KIEV, Ukraine — The head of Ukraine’s new pro-Western government will meet with President Obama this week, the White House announced Sunday, as a defiant Russia took further steps to consolidate its hold on the Crimean Peninsula.
In a move suggesting Moscow remains defiant to Western demands to de-escalate the crisis, a Ukrainian Black Sea border station was surrounded by Russian troops around 6 a.m. local time (11 p.m. EST). There were no reports of shots fired, but roughly 30 Ukrainian personnel were trapped inside, according to reports from the Reuters news agency and Ukrainian television.
The announcement of Wednesday’s meeting in Washington with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk came as pro-Russian forces extended their reach in Crimea, surrounding a border post in the far west and blocking Ukrainian TV broadcasts to the heavily-Russian-speaking region more than 400 miles southeast of Kiev. There were reports of more troop movements into Crimea, with officials in Kiev estimating that 18,000 pro-Russian forces had fanned out over the region, which is about the size of Massachusetts.
The incident marked the eleventh Ukrainian base to be surrounded by Russian forces since they moved into the region 10 days ago.
A whirlwind of diplomacy continued Sunday — with Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron — but there was no sign that Putin was willing to budge.
Russia also held out a financial carrot to Crimea, offering to provide 40 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) of financial support if the peninsula voted in a March 16 referendum to join Russia.
The visit by Yatsenyuk was announced Sunday by Tony Blinken, Obama’s deputy national security adviser. “What we’ve seen is the president mobilizing the international community in support of Ukraine to isolate Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and to reassure our allies and partners,” Blinken said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Pavel Dorokhin, deputy chairman of the Russian parliament’s industry committee, met with Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov on Sunday to discuss the proposed assistance package, Interfax reported.
Raising concerns of unrest beyond Crimea, local media and Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that hundreds of activists brandishing Russian flags had broken into a government building in the eastern city of Luhansk. They reportedly forced the mayor to write a resignation later and raised the Russian flag over the building. The incursion occurred two days after a similar protest in the eastern city of Donetsk was put down by authorities loyal to the new government in Kiev.
“The Russian government has reserved a lot of money, some 40 billion rubles, to support the development of the industrial and economic infrastructure of Crimea,” Dorokhin said.
But Crimea remained the core of concern. According to a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian coast guard, most Ukrainian broadcasts were jammed beginning mid-afternoon Sunday. The only Ukrainian TV programming that could be seen by a reporter in Sevastopol was on two channels — one showing movies and the other soccer.
Most of the money would be invested in defense and machine-building enterprises in Crimea, including the vessels of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, which is based in Sevastopol.
On Sunday, Sevastopol — home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet — was awash in Russian flags as the rest of Ukraine was celebrating the 200th birthday of national hero and poet Taras Shevchenko. Matrons walking down the street in woolen coats and sensible shoes had Russian flag ribbons tied to the straps of their purses. Children skated through squares wearing armbands with the tricolor stripes of the Russian flag.
As Moscow tries to consolidate its hold over Crimea, U.S. and European powers are in the midst of calculating their next move.
Some of those who tried to show their Ukrainian pride paid a price. Several people at a pro-Ukrainian rally were beaten up by pro-Russian activists at a rival gathering, said Dima Belotserkovets, a pro-Ukrainian activist. He said he and others were kicked and punched until police eventually came to their rescue. Ten pro-Ukrainian activists were detained but later released, he said. At least one pro-Ukrainian activist was still in the hospital, and one was unaccounted for, Belotserkovets said.
The White House announced Sunday that President Obama will meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the White House on Wednesday as the United States tries to rally support behind Ukraine’s government.
Putin defends referendum
And Tony Blinken, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said Sunday that if Crimea votes to join Russia in a referendum next week, the United States would not recognize it.
Russia held out a financial carrot to Crimea, offering 40 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) in support if the peninsula voted in favor of joining Russia in a March 16 referendum. That vote was called by pro-Russian lawmakers who seized control of Crimea’s parliament on Feb. 27.
“If there is a referendum and it votes to move Crimea out of Ukraine and to Russia, we won’t recognize it and most of the world won’t either,” Blinken said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
In a phone call with Putin, Merkel called the planned referendum “illegal” and urged Putin to de-escalate the situation, according to a German government spokesman. Blinken said Sunday that if the vote favors annexing Crimea to Russia, “we won’t recognize it, and most of the world won’t either.”
Poland, which closed its consulate in Crimea on Saturday because of security concerns, has been trying to nudge more reluctant members of the European Union to take a firmer stance on Russia. On Sunday, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said European officials were working to solidify details of a targeted visa ban and asset freezes on Russian interests already threatened by the E.U. if Russia did not take steps to de-escalate the crisis. He called for the measures to be imposed “within 10 days,” a time frame that coincides with the disputed referendum in Crimea.
Putin also spoke with Cameron, who continued a push for the Russian leader to support a contact group that could arrange direct talks between him and the new government in Kiev, according to a spokeswoman at the British prime minister’s office.
Should Crimea be absorbed into Russia, Sikorski said there would be consequences for the region. “There are precedents such as the republic of northern Cyprus, unable to trade with anybody, unable to attract tourism, unable to have banking connections and with dropping living standards for its population. I don’t see anybody in the west recognizing this blatant land grab.”
But the Kremlin’s news service said Putin stressed that “the steps being taken by the legitimate Crimean authorities are based on international law and aim to protect the legitimate interests of the population of the Crimea.”
But former secretary of defense Robert Gates predicted Sunday that any hope of Ukraine holding on to control of Crimea is gone and that Russia will seize control of the area. “I do not believe that Crimea will slip out of Russia’s hands,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
There were no reports of shots fired when Russian forces encircled the Chernomorskoye border post in western Crimea, but about 30 Ukrainian personnel were trapped inside, according to reports from the Reuters news agency and Ukrainian television. It was the 11th Ukrainian base to be surrounded by Russian forces since they moved into the region on Feb. 28.
Pro-Russia, pro-Ukraine rallies
Tension at military bases
Sevastopol was awash in Russian flags Sunday as pro-Russian supporters held a rally in the city.
On Sunday, Ukrainian military bases around Sevastopol were tense but largely quiet, with commanders saying that they were trying to avoid responding to provocations.
Russian banners hung from city and Ukrainian government buildings, from storefronts and from cars. Matrons walked down the street, in woolen coats and sensible shoes, with Russian flag ribbons tied to the short straps of their purses hanging from their forearms. Children skate through squares wearing armbands with the light blue, white and red tricolors.
At one isolated base a half-hour outside Sevastopol, a sign taped to the gate read, “Thank you for staying faithful to your oath.” Outside the gate, a half-dozen men in uniforms — part of the pro-Russian “self-defense forces” — milled around.
Pedestrians strolled along sidewalks waving small Russian flags on wooden sticks that are sold in supermarkets and bookstores for about $2. Passing cars frequently honk their horns in solidarity, and drivers roll down their windows and give a thumbs-up.
“They say they are here to defend us from ‘terrorist attacks,’ ” said Col. Andrei Ivanchenko, the Ukrainian base commander, using his fingers to draw air quotes around the words. “They don’t talk to us. But they are peaceful.”
In the central city of Simferopol, hundreds of people turned out in support of the March 16 referendum to secede from Ukraine.
Ivanchenko said the self-defense units report to a commander in the Russian military, a colonel who had come to the base four days earlier and told the Ukrainians to disarm. Ivanchenko said Russian troops stayed outside the facility, with snipers posted on nearby rooftops.
The crowd of cheering ethnic Russians took to a plaza dominated by a towering statue of Vladimir Lenin, chanting “Ross-i-ya, Ross-i-ya” and singing along while entertainers dressed as Russian sailors performed patriotic military anthems on a huge stage.
He said the base had been receiving food and calls of support from civilians. Pointing to a Ukrainian flag flying on a pole at the base entrance, he said morale among those inside was “as high as that banner.”
“This is an historic moment. We will restore the Russian world here,” said Sergei Aksyonov, the recently named premier.
No Russian or self-defense troops were visible at a nearby Ukrainian air force base that was stormed Friday night by Russian troops. But Lt. Col. Andrei Aladashvili, the base commander, said the installation was under constant observation by Russians stationed on nearby rooftops and in apartment buildings.
“We are not going anywhere on March 16; we are coming back to our motherland,” said Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament.
About 50 people were inside the base, he said, half of them women. All the weapons had been sent out of the facility, to an arsenal, to avoid any incident, he said.
But not all in Crimea agree with the secessionist movement.
“Our main task is not to use our weapons, not to have any victims,” he said. “We must not react to any provocation. That is the most important thing.”
Several hundred people had gathered for an 11 a.m. rally in Sevastopol celebrating the birth of poet Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian national hero. They were also there to show support for the Ukrainian navy, which has several ships blocked in by Russian vessels in nearby harbors. Many of them waved the Ukrainian national flag as well as that of its navy and chanted: “Friendship between Russia and Ukraine” and “Ukraine is united.”
Aladashvili described a harrowing attack on the base Friday night, when a Russian military truck tried to ram down the front gate about 7:30 p.m. and Russian soldiers scrambled over the low walls surrounding the facility. The troops on the base lined up just inside the gate, he said, forming a human shield to defend their facility. The Russian soldiers threatened to shoot them in the backs if they did not move, Aladashvili said.
But as the pro-Ukraine rally was winding up, Dima Belotserkovets said he and other pro-Ukraine activists were attacked by pro-Russia activists, who started kicking and punching them. He said police eventually came and rescued them. Ten people were initially detained but now have been released because they are considered victims, he said. But at least one activist is in the hospital, and one is still unaccounted for, Belotserkovets said.
The standoff continued for five hours while Russian and Ukrainian commanders negotiated over the phone, and, eventually, the Russians left at 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Aladashvili said.
In Simferopol, two pro-Ukraine rally organizers were reportedly detained, but the event proceeded, drawing an emotional crowd waving Ukrainian flags and balloons.
Morello reported from Sevastopol. Isabel Gorst in Moscow and Philip Rucker in Washington contributed to this report.
“Why have the Russians come here? Why are unknown men in masks searching cars and beating people? Where is the government and the world to protect us?” demanded an angry man in the crowd gathered in a park named for Shevchenko. “We are for peace and Ukraine and will not leave this place.”
Quiet at military bases
Ukrainian military bases in Sevastopol were largely quiet Sunday, and commanders said they were trying to avoid responding to provocations. But the Russian presence is comprehensive and unchallenged, ranging from heavy blockades of some bases to a minimal presence at others.
At an isolated base in the countryside a half hour outside Sevastopol, a sign taped to the gate reads: “Thank you for staying faithful to your oath.” Outside the gate, a half dozen men in uniforms — part of the pro-Russian “self-defense forces” — milled about.
“They say they are here to defend us from ‘terrorist attacks,’ ” said Col. Andrei Ivanchenko, the base commander, using his fingers to draw air quotes around the words. “They don’t talk to us. But they are peaceful.”
Ivanchenko said the self-defense units report to a commander in the Russian military, a colonel who came to the base four days ago and told the Ukrainians to disarm.
The Russian troops stayed outside the Ukrainian base, but snipers were posted on the rooftops, Ivanchenko said. The snipers left briefly when they got a phone call that international monitors would be coming to check on Russian troop movements. But they returned a day late, after monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were stopped at the Crimean border and prevented from entering. Then the Russian troops left again, leaving behind the self-defense units.
Ivanchenko said the base had been receiving food and calls of support from civilians. Pointing to a Ukrainian flag flying high on a pole at the base entrance, he said morale for those inside was “as high as that banner.”
No Russian or self-defense troops were visible at a nearby Ukrainian Air Force base that was stormed Friday night by Russian soldiers, although commander Lt. Col. Andrei Aladashvili said they were under constant observation by Russians on neighboring rooftops and apartment buildings.
About 50 people are inside the base, he said, half of them women. They have no weapons because they sent them to an arsenal to avoid any incident.
“Our main task is to not to use our weapons, not to have any victims,” he said. “We must not react to any provocation; that is the most important thing.”
Aladashvili described a harrowing attack on the base Friday night, when a Russian military truck tried to ram the front gate at about 7:30 p.m. and Russian soldiers climbed over the low walls surrounding the facility. The troops on the base lined up just inside the gate, he said, forming a human shield to defend the base. The Russian soldiers positioned themselves behind the Ukrainian troops and threatened to shoot if they did not move, Aladashvili said.
A tense standoff continued for five hours while Russian and Ukrainian commanders negotiated over the phone. The Russians eventually left at 12:30 a.m. without a shot being fired, Aladashvili said.
While the Russian military appeared to be expanding its presence on Saturday, sending a convoy of trucks to a base outside the provincial capital of Simferopol, Ukrainian bases have not seen any changes in the past 24 hours, according to Oleg Chubyk, a Ukrainian military spokesman in Crimea. He estimated that 16,000 Russian troops are in Crimea now.
The headquarters of the Ukrainian navy in Sevastopol remains barricaded, guarded by both civilian self-defense units and uniformed men wearing balaclava masks and carrying Kalashnikov rifles. Dozens of wooden pallets were leaned up against the gates from the outside, blocking anyone from opening the gates to drive out. Men in self-defense units refused to let reporters past. Uniformed men also could be seen patrolling the rooftop.
Faiola reported from Kiev. Constable reported from Simferopol. Isabel Gorst contributed from Moscow.
