Ukraine warns Russia against aggression in Crimea

Ukrainian interim President Olexander Turchynov has warned Russia against any “military aggression” in Crimea, BBC reports.

He said Russia’s troops from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet should not move outside their naval base in Sevastopol.

The warning comes after unknown armed men seized Crimea’s regional parliament and the government headquarters of the autonomous Russian-majority region.

Meanwhile, the Crimean parliament has said it wants to hold a referendum on greater self-rule.

Such a vote would be a challenge to the new powers in the Ukraine capital Kiev, the BBC  Mark Lowen reports from the Crimean regional capital Simferopol.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the BBC, “We ask our Russian partners to… stick to their obligations, we believe Russia would never intervene into Ukrainian domestic affairs and will refrain from any steps that would split Ukraine.

“We are committed to having Ukraine as one united country. We will punish anyone for separatism in Ukraine with all legal and constitutional means,” he added.

Mr Yatsenyuk was confirmed as prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Thursday afternoon. He is a key ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was released from detention last week.

The warnings from Ukrainian leaders came as Russia performed a second day of military exercises, saying its fighter jets were on “combat alert”.

“Constant air patrols are being carried out by fighter jets in the border regions,” Russia’s defence ministry told Interfax.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered a snap drill to test the combat readiness of troops in central and western Russia, near the border with Ukraine. Thursday’s exercises appear to be part of that drill, analysts say.

The Russian foreign ministry expressed concern over what it termed “massive violations of human rights in Ukraine”.

Amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was “concerned about developments in Crimea” and urged Russia “not to take any action that can escalate tension”.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gave a similar warning after Nato talks in Brussels, telling Russia “not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted, or lead to miscalculation, during a very delicate time”.