Armed men seize two airports in Ukraine’s Crimea, Russia denies involvement
.Kerry urges Russia to join U.S. in helping UkraineBy Alissa de Carbonnel and Alessandra PrenticeRelated StoriesSIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) – Armed men took control of two airports in the Crimea region on Friday in what Ukraine’s government described as an invasion and occupation by Russian forces, raising tension between Moscow and the West.Russia’s Black Sea fleet, which is based in the region, denied its forces were involved in seizing one of the airports, Interfax news agency reported, while a supporter described the group at the other site merely as Crimean militiamen.Amid the confusion over the men’s identity, acting president Oleksander Turchinov called an emergency session of his security chiefs, while parliament urged Moscow to halt any action that might encourage separatism and asked the United Nations Security Council to discuss the crisis.Tensions have been rising on the Black Sea peninsula, the only Ukrainian region that has an ethnic Russian majority and the last major bastion of resistance to the overthrow of Viktor Yanukovich as president almost a week ago.Interior Minister Arsen Avakov accused Russian naval forces of taking over a military airport near the port of Sevastopol, where the Black Sea fleet has its base, and other Russian forces of seizing Simferopol’s civilian international airport.Armed men seize Crimea government HQ in Ukraine Play video
„I consider what has happened to be an armed invasion and occupation in violation of all international agreements and norms,” Avakov said on his Facebook page, describing it as a „provocation” and calling for talks.This met with a Russian denial of involvement in the military airport action. „No Black Sea Fleet units have moved toward (the airport), let alone taking any part in blockading it,” Interfax quoted a spokesman for the fleet as saying.Yanukovich is expected to appear before reporters in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don later on Friday, though President Vladimir Putin has not said whether Moscow will harbor the former leader, who is on the run and wanted by the new government for mass murder after the deaths of protestors in Kiev last week.The United States has told Russia to show in the next few days that it is sincere about a promise not to intervene in Ukraine, saying using force would be a grave mistake.”We believe that everybody now needs to take a step back and avoid any kind of provocations,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. „We want to see in the next days ahead that the choices Russia makes conform to this affirmation we received today.”Russian troops on war games alert Play video
ORDERS FROM PUTIN-The Kremlin said Putin had ordered his government to continue talks with Ukraine on economic and trade relations and to consult foreign partners including the International Monetary Fund on financial aid.It also said Putin ordered the government to consider a request from Crimea for humanitarian aid but made no direct reference to the latest events.Yanukovich provoked protests in Ukraine in November by backing out of plans to sign landmark deals with the European Union and instead saying Kiev would seek closer economic and trade ties with its former Soviet master Russia.In December, Putin promised Yanukovich a $15 billion bailout, but Russia has put the deal on hold after releasing an initial installment, saying it wants more clarity about the new government and its policies.View gallery
An armed man patrols at the airport in Simferopol, Crimea February 28, 2014. A group of armed men in …Ukraine’s hryvnia currency has been in freefall in recent days as investors worried about Kiev’s ability to repay its debts. But with the new rulers seeking IMF help, it bounced back 5 percent to 10.50 per dollar on Friday, according to Reuters data, from the record low of 11.0 reached on Thursday.Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Ukraine hoped to begin receiving international aid soon and was determined to fulfil conditions needed for IMF support. A previous deal collapsed after Kiev failed to implement IMF demands for lower gas subsidies, which would have hurt Ukrainians by pushing up energy prices sharply.The IMF also wanted a more flexible currency regime, something that has now come about as Kiev gave up this week its attempts to arrest the hryvnia’s slide, which had burnt through its dollar reserves. Central bank Governor Stepan Kubiv also said foreign currency withdrawals from bank deposits would be limited to 15,000 hryvnia ($1,500) per day.ARMED FORCES IN CRIMEA-Kiev’s new rulers have said any movement by Russian forces beyond the Black Sea fleet base in Sevastopol would be tantamount to aggression.View gallery
Armed men stand guard at the Simferopol airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. Armed men to …But it faces a major challenge in Crimea which was Russian territory until it was transferred to Ukraine in 1954, during the Soviet era. Separatism there has often flared up at times of tension between Moscow and Kiev.Unidentified gunmen seized the Crimean parliament and raised a Russian flag on Thursday. The gunmen issued no demands and police were casually guarding the building.Armed men took control of Simferopol airport overnight and were patrolling its grounds on Friday morning.A Reuters eyewitness at the scene said the men, dressed in full battle gear and carrying assault rifles and machine guns, were moving freely in an out of the control tower.A man called Vladimir, who said he was a volunteer helping the group, said: „I’m with the People’s Militia of Crimea. We’re simple people, volunteers … We’re here at the airport to maintain order. We’ll meet the planes with a nice smile – the airport is working as normal.”View gallery
Armed men stand guard at the entrance to Belbek Airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. Arme …The Belbek military airport near Sevastopol was taken over by what Avakov said were military units of the Russian fleet, and armed men in camouflage were guarding the perimeter fence.One of the men was quoted as saying the aim was to prevent Avakov flying to Crimea.”Tension is rising,” Avakov said. „While we don’t have direct military clashes, diplomats should talk.”SOVEREIGNTY CALL-The regional parliament in Crimea managed to hold a session inside the building on Thursday despite the siege, where it voted to stage a referendum on „sovereignty” for Crimea.View gallery
An armed man stands guard at the entrance to Belbek Airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. …Russia’s flag still flew from its roof, and lights were on in the windows of its top floor. It was not clear whether the armed men were still inside.Acting-president Turchinov warned Russia on Thursday not to move personnel beyond areas permitted by treaty for those using its naval base.”Any military movements, the more so if they are with weapons, beyond the boundaries of this territory will be seen by us as military aggression,” he said.Russia has repeatedly declared it will defend the interests of its citizens in Ukraine, and announced war games on Wednesday near the border, involving 150,000 troops on high alert. Kerry said Lavrov told him the exercises had been pre-planned.Although Moscow says it will not intervene by force, its rhetoric since the removal of its ally Yanukovich has echoed the run-up to its invasion of Georgia in 2008, when it sent its troops to protect two self-declared independent regions and then recognized them as independent states.Witness accounts suggest those who captured the Crimean parliament building in the early hours of Thursday were pro-Russian gunmen of some kind.(Additional reporting by Piotr Pilat in Simferopol, Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk in Kiev and Elizabeth Piper in Moscow; Writing by Timothy Heritage, Richard Balmforth and David Stamp; Editing by Will Waterman)
Russia Denies Blocking Airport In Crimea
Sky News – 14 minutes ago
View PhotoUkraine Minister Accuses Russia Of ‘Invasion’
Play VideoUkraine ousted president reported to be in Russia euronews Videos 0:50
Play VideoUkraine’s Crimea vote to hold a referendum on region’s futureeuronews Videos 1:30
Play VideoNew Ukrainian government gets to workeuronews Videos 1:40Russia has denied its forces are blocking an airport in Sevastopol, in Ukraine’s Crimea region.Armed men have also been seen patrolling the perimeter at the Simferopol airport. They claim they are trying to stop radicals from arriving in Kiev.Earlier Ukraine’s interior minister accused Russian forces of staging an „armed invasion” in Crimea.Arsen Avakov claimed Russian forces had blocked one military air base and entered an airport overnight on the Black Sea peninsula.The accusation comes a day after dozens of pro-Moscow gunmen seized government buildings in the Crimean capital of Simferopol.These included the regional parliament, which subsequently voted to hold a referendum on May 25 to expand the region’s autonomy from Kiev.”I consider what is happening to be an armed invasion and an occupation,” Mr Avakov wrote in a statement on his Facebook page.Meanwhile, Ukraine’s acting president has dismissed the head of the country’s armed forces.Admiral Yuriy Ilyin had been appointed at the height of protests against President Viktor Yanukovich, who was ousted last Saturday.No reason was given for his dismissal in a brief statement on the presidential website.It has also emerged that Swiss prosecutors have launched a money-laundering probe against Mr Yanukovych and his son Aleksander.Ukraine will ask Russia to extradite the ousted president if it is confirmed that he is in Russia, the general prosecutor’s office said this morning.Inside the opulent palace Yanukovych kept hidden …Mr Yanukovych is expected to make a televised statement this lunch time.Russia earlier reaffirmed its pledge to „respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine”, despite placing fighter jets on combat alert along the countries’ shared border.The pledge came after US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov amid ongoing tension in Ukraine.Mr Kerry sought assurances from Mr Lavrov that Russia would work with the United States to create unity in Ukraine.”I asked specifically that Russia work with the United States and our friends and allies in order to support Ukraine to rebuild unity, security and a healthy economy,” Mr Kerry told reporters.Mr Lavrov reaffirmed President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Russia „will respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Mr Kerry added.Mr Lavrov also denied that Moscow had any hand in the takeover of government buildings in the Crimea, over which a Russian flag was hoisted on Thursday.The White House has reinforced its warnings to Russia that it must avoid „miscalculations” in military drills along the border of Ukraine.The comments appeared to reflect Washington’s concern that Russian manoeuvres near the ex-Soviet state could trigger events which may get out of control.Mr Kerry said his Russian counterpart had assured him that the exercises were long-planned and had nothing to do with the fast-moving events in Ukraine.Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has announced that he will hold a press conference today in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.Mr Yanukovych has reportedly been spotted in a luxury five-star hotel and spa outside Moscow, in an exclusive enclave favoured by Russia’s super-rich.The 63-year-old fugitive, who is wanted in Ukraine on charges of mass murder after police opened fire on demonstrators, released a statement on Thursday insisting he is still president.Mr Yanukovych and his government are facing charges of stripping Ukraine’s coffers bare before they were toppled from power.Shortly before being appointed as head of the crisis-hit country’s national unity government, Arseny Yatseniuk said $37bn (£22bn) had disappeared in an „unknown direction”, while $70bn (£42bn) had been siphoned out of the economy into offshore accounts.But Russia has questioned the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian authorities and has pledged to defend the rights of its „compatriots”.Crimea is an autonomous republic in the south of Ukraine, around 500 miles from the capital Kiev.There have been mounting signs of separatism in the region, which has strong ties to Moscow and where the majority of the population are Russian speakers.Meanwhile, Ukraine central bank governor Stepan Kubiv has said that the bank will limit foreign currency withdrawals from banking deposits to 15,000 hryvnia (about £898) per day.
Armed men seize two Crimea airports, Ukraine blames Russian forcesBy Alissa de Carbonnel and Alessandra Prentice Related StoriesSIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) – Armed men took control of two airports in the Crimea region on Friday in what Ukraine’s government described as an invasion and occupation by Russian forces, raising tension between Moscow and the West.Russia’s Black Sea fleet, which is based in the region, denied its forces were involved in seizing one of the airports, Interfax news agency reported, while a supporter described the group at the other site merely as Crimean militiamen.Amid the confusion over the men’s identity, acting president Oleksander Turchinov called an emergency session of his security chiefs, while parliament urged Moscow to halt any action that might encourage separatism and asked the United Nations Security Council to discuss the crisis.Tensions have been rising on the Black Sea peninsula, the only Ukrainian region that has an ethnic Russian majority and the last major bastion of resistance to the overthrow of Viktor Yanukovich as president almost a week ago.Interior Minister Arsen Avakov accused Russian naval forces of taking over a military airport near the port of Sevastopol, where the Black Sea fleet has its base, and other Russian forces of seizing Simferopol’s civilian international airport.View gallery
An armed man patrols at the airport in Simferopol, Crimea February 28, 2014. A group of armed men in …”I consider what has happened to be an armed invasion and occupation in violation of all international agreements and norms,” Avakov said on his Facebook page, describing it as a „provocation” and calling for talks.This met with a Russian denial of involvement in the military airport action. „No Black Sea Fleet units have moved toward (the airport), let alone taking any part in blockading it,” Interfax quoted a spokesman for the fleet as saying.Yanukovich is expected to appear before reporters in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don later on Friday, though President Vladimir Putin has not said whether Moscow will harbor the former leader, who is on the run and wanted by the new government for mass murder after the deaths of protestors in Kiev last week.The United States has told Russia to show in the next few days that it is sincere about a promise not to intervene in Ukraine, saying using force would be a grave mistake.”We believe that everybody now needs to take a step back and avoid any kind of provocations,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. „We want to see in the next days ahead that the choices Russia makes conform to this affirmation we received today.”View gallery
Armed men stand guard at the Simferopol airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. REUTERS/Baz …ORDERS FROM PUTIN-The Kremlin said Putin had ordered his government to continue talks with Ukraine on economic and trade relations and to consult foreign partners including the International Monetary Fund on financial aid.It also said Putin ordered the government to consider a request from Crimea for humanitarian aid but made no direct reference to the latest events.Yanukovich provoked protests in Ukraine in November by backing out of plans to sign landmark deals with the European Union and instead saying Kiev would seek closer economic and trade ties with its former Soviet master Russia.In December, Putin promised Yanukovich a $15 billion bailout, but Russia has put the deal on hold after releasing an initial installment, saying it wants more clarity about the new government and its policies.View gallery
Armed men stand guard at the entrance to Belbek Airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. REUT …Ukraine’s hryvnia currency has been in freefall in recent days as investors worried about Kiev’s ability to repay its debts. But with the new rulers seeking IMF help, it bounced back 5 percent to 10.50 per dollar on Friday, according to Reuters data, from the record low of 11.0 reached on Thursday.Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Ukraine hoped to begin receiving international aid soon and was determined to fulfil conditions needed for IMF support. A previous deal collapsed after Kiev failed to implement IMF demands for lower gas subsidies, which would have hurt Ukrainians by pushing up energy prices sharply.The IMF also wanted a more flexible currency regime, something that has now come about as Kiev gave up this week its attempts to arrest the hryvnia’s slide, which had burnt through its dollar reserves. Central bank Governor Stepan Kubiv also said foreign currency withdrawals from bank deposits would be limited to 15,000 hryvnia ($1,500) per day.ARMED FORCES IN CRIMEA-Kiev’s new rulers have said any movement by Russian forces beyond the Black Sea fleet base in Sevastopol would be tantamount to aggression.View gallery
An armed man stands guard at the entrance to Belbek Airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. …But it faces a major challenge in Crimea which was Russian territory until it was transferred to Ukraine in 1954, during the Soviet era. Separatism there has often flared up at times of tension between Moscow and Kiev.Unidentified gunmen seized the Crimean parliament and raised a Russian flag on Thursday. The gunmen issued no demands and police were casually guarding the building.Armed men took control of Simferopol airport overnight and were patrolling its grounds on Friday morning.A Reuters eyewitness at the scene said the men, dressed in full battle gear and carrying assault rifles and machine guns, were moving freely in an out of the control tower.A man called Vladimir, who said he was a volunteer helping the group, said: „I’m with the People’s Militia of Crimea. We’re simple people, volunteers … We’re here at the airport to maintain order. We’ll meet the planes with a nice smile – the airport is working as normal.”View gallery
An armed man patrols at the Simferopol airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. REUTERS/Baz R …The Belbek military airport near Sevastopol was taken over by what Avakov said were military units of the Russian fleet, and armed men in camouflage were guarding the perimeter fence.One of the men was quoted as saying the aim was to prevent Avakov flying to Crimea.”Tension is rising,” Avakov said. „While we don’t have direct military clashes, diplomats should talk.”SOVEREIGNTY CALLThe regional parliament in Crimea managed to hold a session inside the building on Thursday despite the siege, where it voted to stage a referendum on „sovereignty” for Crimea.View gallery
A woman walks past armed men at the Simferopol airport in the Crimea region February 28, 2014. REUTE …Russia’s flag still flew from its roof, and lights were on in the windows of its top floor. It was not clear whether the armed men were still inside.Acting-president Turchinov warned Russia on Thursday not to move personnel beyond areas permitted by treaty for those using its naval base.”Any military movements, the more so if they are with weapons, beyond the boundaries of this territory will be seen by us as military aggression,” he said.Russia has repeatedly declared it will defend the interests of its citizens in Ukraine, and announced war games on Wednesday near the border, involving 150,000 troops on high alert. Kerry said Lavrov told him the exercises had been pre-planned.Although Moscow says it will not intervene by force, its rhetoric since the removal of its ally Yanukovich has echoed the run-up to its invasion of Georgia in 2008, when it sent its troops to protect two self-declared independent regions and then recognized them as independent states.Witness accounts suggest those who captured the Crimean parliament building in the early hours of Thursday were pro-Russian gunmen of some kind.(Additional reporting by Piotr Pilat in Simferopol, Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk in Kiev and Elizabeth Piper in Moscow; Writing by Timothy Heritage, Richard Balmforth and David Stamp; Editing by Will Waterman)Ukraine crisis deepens as Russia scrambles jets
Raw: Russia Tests Combat ReadinessKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia scrambled fighter jets to patrol its border and reportedly gave shelter to Ukraine’s fugitive president as gunmen stormed government buildings in the strategic Crimea region and raised a Russian flag over the regional parliament Thursday, deepening the crisis for the new Ukrainian government even as it was being formed.Related StoriesThe moves pose an immediate challenge to Ukraine’s new authorities as they seek to set up an interim government for the country, whose population is divided in loyalties between Russia and the West.Ukraine’s new prime minister said the country’s future lies in the European Union but with friendly relations with Russia. Moscow, meanwhile, has launched a major military exercise involving 150,000 troops and put fighter jets on patrol along the border.Respected Russian news organization RBK reported that Viktor Yanukovych, who was driven out of Kiev by a three-month protest movement against his government, was staying in a Kremlin retreat just outside Moscow after first staying at a hotel.”I have to ask Russia to ensure my personal safety from extremists,” the fugitive leader said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies on Thursday. He said he still considers himself president and sees the new Ukrainian authorities as illegitimate.The same agencies then quoted an unnamed Russian official saying that Yanukovych’s request for protection „was satisfied on the territory of Russia.”Raw: Pro-RussiaGunmen Seize Offices in Ukraine Play video
Pro-Russian demonstrators march with a huge Russian flag during a protest in front of a local govern …Phone calls to the Crimean legislature rang unanswered, and its website was down.Oleksandr Turchynov, who stepped in as Ukraine’s acting president after Yanukovych’s flight, denounced the gunmen who seized control of the government buildings in Crimea and warned that any move by Russian troops off of their base in Crimea „will be considered a military aggression.””I have given orders to the military to use all methods necessary to protect the citizens, punish the criminals, and to free the buildings,” he said.Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO, Ihor Dolhov, told The Associated Press in Brussels that Turchynov was supposed to go to Crimea later Thursday. Russian news agency Interfax later reported that he wasn’t going.In another sign of the ongoing tensions in Crimea, an AP freelancer saw a convoy of seven armored personnel carriers on a road near the village of Ukromnoye, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Simferopol. The soldiers manning the APCs didn’t answer questions, and the APCs turned away and headed away from Simferopol. Their nationality wasn’t immediately clear.View gallery
Pro-Russian demonstrators march with a huge Russian flag during a protest in front of a local govern …In Simferopol, a pro-Russian activist who identified himself only as Maxim, said he and other activists had camped overnight outside the local parliament when 50-60 heavily armed men wearing flak jackets and carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers and sniper rifles took over the building.”Our activists were sitting there all night calmly, building the barricades,” he said. „At 5 o’clock unknown men turned up and went to the building. They got into the courtyard and put everyone on the ground.”They were asking who we were. When we said we stand for the Russian language and Russia, they said: ‘Don’t be afraid. We’re with you.’ Then they began to storm the building bringing down the doors,” he said. „They didn’t look like volunteers or amateurs; they were professionals. This was clearly a well-organized operation.””Who are they?” he added. „Nobody knows.”In Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that Russia was abiding by an agreement with Ukraine that sharply restricts troop movements, and added that some unspecified movements of troops had taken place, but it didn’t violate that deal, the Interfax news agency reported.View gallery
Anti-Yanukovych protesters riding on top of an army armored vehicle drive though a street in central …In a statement, the local government said Crimean Prime Minister Anatoly Mogilyev had tried to negotiate with the gunmen but was told „they were not authorized to negotiate and present demands.”Meanwhile, Ukraine’s currency, the hryvnia, dropped further to a new record low of 11.25 to the U.S. dollar, a sign of the country’s financial distress.One of the new government’s first tasks will be to seek rescue loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The finance ministry has pegged the country’s needs at $35 billion dollars for this year and next to pay salaries and debts and cover the large budget deficit.It will also have to deal with the angry street protesters who set up camp on Kiev’s Independence Square, also known as Maidan, during the uprising against Yanukovych. Many of them worry that the new government will not address their grievances, including the endemic corruption in Ukraine’s political system.Hundreds of protesters from the Maidan movement gathered outside Parliament on Thursday, placing car tires and unlit Molotov cocktails at the entrance as if to remind lawmakers that the street revolt could easily re-ignite.__Associated Press writers Maria Danilova and Dusan Stojanovic in Kiev; Nataliya Vasilyeva and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow; and John-Thor Dahlburg in Brussels contributed to this report.
By AFP | AFP – 8 minutes ago
View PhotoAFP/AFP/File – This picture taken on February 21, 2014 shows the then Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych before a signing agreement with opposition leaders in KievUkraine’s general prosecutor said Friday Kiev would ask Moscow to extradite ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, who is thought to have fled to Russia and is expected to give a press briefing there later in the day.”Ukraine’s general prosecutor intends to ask for citizen Viktor Yanukovych, who is wanted on an international level, to be extradited if his presence in Russia is confirmed,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
AFP – 19 minutes ago
View PhotoAFP – Judicial authorities in Geneva said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into alleged money laundering by ousted Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych and his son.The Swiss government also announced it was freezing the assets of 20 Ukranian officials, including Yanukovych and his son and a number of former ministers.
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Foto anzeigenBlumen für die Opfer der Maidan-Unruhen Bevor sich der entmachtete ukrainische Präsident Viktor Janukowitsch am Freitagnachmittag erstmals seit seinem Sturz der Öffentlichkeit stellen wollte, hat ein neuer Zwischenfall auf der Krim für zusätzliche Nervosität gesorgt: Nachdem prorussische Milizen am Donnerstag schon das Parlament und die Regionalregierung auf der autonomen Halbinsel besetzt hatten, drangen in der Nacht Bewaffnete vorübergehend in den Flughafen der Krim-Hauptstadt Simferopol ein. Das ukrainische Parlament forderte angesichts der wachsenden Spannungen auf der Krim die USA und Großbritannien auf, die Souveränität des Landes zu garantieren.Etwa 50 Bewaffnete seien kurz in das Gebäude eingedrungen, berichtete die Nachrichtenagentur Interfax-Ukraine. In den frühen Morgenstunden lief der Betrieb aber wieder normal, wie die Behörden bestätigten. Ein AFP-Reporter beobachtete vor dem Gebäude ein Dutzende Uniformierte mit schwarzen Abzeichen. Auf die Frage nach ihrer Nationalität gaben sie keine Antwort. Auch ein Dutzend prorussische Zivilisten war zugegen. „Wir sind alle Freiwillige und verhindern, dass Faschisten oder Radikale aus dem Westen der Ukraine hier landen”, sagte einer von ihnen, der sich als Sprecher der Gruppe ausgab.Am Donnerstagmorgen hatten prorussische Milizen das Parlament und die Regionalregierung in Simferopol unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht. In der autonomen Teilrepublik der Ukraine leben überwiegend ethnische Russen. Sie fürchten infolge des Umbruchs in Kiew um ihre Autonomierechte. Das von den Moskau-treuen Milizen besetzte Regionalparlament beschloss am Donnerstag, dass am 25. Mai ein Referendum über die „staatliche Souveränität innerhalb der Ukraine” abgehalten werden soll.Das Streben nach Autonomie der russischsprachigen Krim-Bevölkerung stellt die Ukraine zunehmend vor die Zerreißprobe. Russland hatte am Mittwoch mit einem massiven Militärmanöver auf die Spannungen reagiert und den Schutz für seine in der Krim-Stadt Sewastopol stationierte Schwarzmeerflotte erhöht.In einer Entschließung forderten die Abgeordneten in Kiew die Unterzeichnerstaaten des Budapester Memorandums auf, ihre Sicherheitsgarantien für die Ukraine zu „bestätigen” und mit sofortigen Verhandlungen zu einem Abbau der Spannungen beizutragen. Im Budapester Memorandum von 1994 hatten sich die USA, Großbritannien und Russland verpflichtet, die Unabhängigkeit und die bestehenden Grenzen der Ukraine zu garantieren. Im Gegenzug verzichtete die Ukraine auf die nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion im Land verbliebenen Atomwaffen und unterzeichnete den Atomwaffensperrvertrag.”Die territoriale Integrität des Landes ist bedroht”, warnte der ukrainische Übergangsregierungschef Arseni Jazenjuk. Er wurde am Donnerstag vom Parlament in Kiew im Amt bestätigt und soll das Land bis zu den Präsidentschaftswahlen am 25. Mai führen. US-Vizepräsident Joe Biden rief ihn am Donnerstagabend an und sichert Jazenjuk die „vollständige Unterstützung” Washingtons zu, wie das Weiße Haus mitteilte.Der ukrainische Interimspräsident Alexander Turtschinow forderte von Russland, alle Militäreinheiten auf der Krim in ihren Stützpunkten zu lassen. „Jede Truppenbewegung wird als militärische Aggression gewertet.” Die NATO warnte vor einer Eskalation. Bundesaußenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) und sein US-Kollege John Kerry riefen Russland von Washington aus zu einer konstruktiven Rolle bei der Stabilisierung der Ukraine auf.Der ukrainische Innenminister Arsen Awakow warf der russischen Armee eine „bewaffnete Invasion” auf der Krim vor. Er werte die jüngsten Ereignisse auf der Halbinsel als „bewaffnete Invasion und Besetzung”, schrieb Awakow auf seiner Facebook-Seite.Janukowitsch, der am Samstag nach seiner Entmachtung aus Kiew geflohen war und nach dem in der Ukraine gefahndet wird, will am Nachmittag (14.00 Uhr MEZ) in der westrussischen Stadt Rostow am Don eine Pressekonferenz geben. Das meldeten russische Nachrichtenagenturen.Vitali Klitschko, einer der Anführer der monatelangen proeuropäischen Protestbewegung und designierter Kandidat für die Präsidentschaftswahl im Mai, machte Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin wegen der Aufnahme Janukowitschs schwere Vorwürfe. „Es ist eine Provokation für jeden Ukrainer, dass Putin diesem blutigen Diktator Zuflucht gewährt”, sagte Klitschko der „Bild”-Zeitung. Die geplante Pressekonferenz Janukowitschs sei „absurd”. „Janukowitsch ist verantwortlich für den Einsatz von Scharfschützen gegen friedliche Demonstranten, er hat Menschen ermorden lassen. Er muss sofort vor ein Gericht gestellt werden.”
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Reuters/Reuters – Homme armé devant l’aéroport de Simféropol. Le ministre ukrainien de l’Intérieur a dénoncé vendredi l’occupation de deux aéroports de Crimée, à Simféropol et Sébastopol, par des …plus News Monde
L’opposant russe Alexeï Navalny assigné à résidenceAFP – il y a 10 minutes
KIEV (Reuters) – Des hommes armés ont pris le contrôle de deux aéroports en Crimée, à Simféropol la capitale de la région autonome d’Ukraine et à Sébastopol le siège de la flotte russe en mer Noire, quelques heures après la prise du parlement régional par d’autres hommes armés pro-russes.Le ministre ukrainien de l’Intérieur, Arsen Avakov, a affirmé que l’aéroport militaire de Belbek à Sébastopol était sous le contrôle d’une unité de la marine russe et que celui de Simféropol était occupé par d’autres forces russes.Le ministre a estimé que la tension s’accentuait en Crimée, seule région d’Ukraine où les Russes sont majoritaires et centre d’opposition au nouveau pouvoir en place à Kiev depuis la destitution du président pro-russe Viktor Ianoukovitch samedi.”Je considère que ce qui s’est passé est une invasion armée et une occupation en violation des accords et des règlements internationaux”, a commenté Avakov sur sa page Facebook, qualifiant ces opérations de „provocation” et appelant au dialogue.Le président ukrainien par intérim a convoqué une réunion d’urgence des responsables des services de sécurité affirmant que l’armée russe était impliquée dans „l’escalade” des événements.La flotte russe basée dans le port de Sébastopol a pour sa part affirmé vendredi matin n’avoir investi aucun aéroport, ni pris aucune autre mesure dans la ville, indique l’agence Interfax.”Aucune unité de la flotte de la mer Noire ne s’est avancée vers l’aéroport, sans parler d’en organiser le blocage”, a dit un porte-parole de la flotte.Il a toutefois reconnu que des „unités antiterroristes” avaient pris des mesures dans les zones où est basée la flotte et dans les casernes abritant les militaires et leurs familles.Selon des témoins cités par l’agence de presse russe Interfax, une cinquantaine d’hommes armés, vêtus d’uniformes ne portant aucun insigne permettant de les identifier, sont arrivés à l’aéroport de Simféropol à bord de trois camions et en ont pris le contrôle.Par ailleurs, l’agence a indiqué qu’un groupe de personnes s’était dirigé vers l’aéroport, certains portant l’insigne de la marine russe.Jeudi, toujours à Simféropol, des hommes armés s’étaient emparés du parlement régional, hissant le drapeau russe à son sommet.„UN PAS EN ARRIÈRE”–Le chef de la diplomatie américaine John Kerry a fait savoir jeudi que son homologue russe Sergueï Lavrov lui avait promis au téléphone que Moscou n’interviendrait pas militairement chez son voisin ukrainien.”Nous estimons que tout le monde doit faire un pas en arrière et éviter tout type de provocation”, a déclaré John Kerry lors d’une conférence de presse avec son homologue Frank-Walter Steinmeier.”Nous voulons voir dans les prochains jours que les choix que fait la Russie sont conformes à la déclaration que nous avons reçue aujourd’hui”, a-t-il ajouté.Le vice-président américain Joe Biden a appelé le nouveau Premier ministre ukrainien Arseni Iatseniouk jeudi pour lui promettre le soutien des Etats-Unis.La Crimée a été administrée comme une partie de la Russie au sein de l’Union soviétique jusqu’à son transfert à l’Ukraine en 1954.Viktor Ianoukovitch, toujours introuvable, a déclaré qu’il se considérait comme le seul président légitime de l’Ukraine. Le chef de l’Etat déchu a prévu de s’exprimer vendredi après-midi lors d’une conférence de presse à Rostov-sur-le-Don, ville du sud de la Russie.Les hommes armés qui se sont emparés du parlement régional n’ont émis aucune revendication et la police n’a pas semblé traiter l’événement comme un incident majeur de sécurité.Au contraire, elle a gardé le bâtiment de façon informelle tandis que des centaines de manifestants pro-russes s’y rassemblaient. Parmi eux, des personnes d’un certain âge ont dansé sur des enregistrements de musique martiale de l’époque soviétique.Bien qu’assiégé, le parlement régional a même réussi à tenir une session à l’intérieur du bâtiment où il a voté pour organiser un référendum concernant la „souveraineté” de la Crimée le 25 mai, le jour où doit se tenir l’élection présidentielle destinée à élire un nouveau chef de l’Etat pour remplacer Viktor Ianoukovitch.Aux premières heures de vendredi, les policiers assurant la garde du bâtiment n’ont pas voulu dire ce qu’il était advenu des hommes armés ni s’ils étaient encore là. Le drapeau russe était toujours sur le toit. Des lumières étaient allumées aux fenêtres du dernier étage.(Pavel Polittyuk; Pierre Sérisier pour le service français)By AFP | AFP – 23 minutes ago
View PhotoAFP/Ria Novosti/AFP/File – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (front) rides with the ‘Night Wolves’ during an annual motorbike festival in the southern town of Novorossiysk, on August 29, 2011
By AFP | AFP – 35 minutes ago
View PhotoAFP/AFP – Unidentified armed men patrol outside of the Simferopol airport, on February 28, 2014 Ukraine’s security authorities said on Friday they had regained control of two airports on the volatile Crimean peninsula that had been seized by gunmen that officials in Kiev said had links to the Russian military.”There was an attempt to seize the airports, but we have localised those attempts. The airports are now controlled by Ukrainian law enforcement authorities,” Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council chief Andriy Parubiy said in televised remarks.
By Jean-Louis De La Vaissiere | AFP – 5 minutes ago
View PhotoAFP/Pool/AFP/File – Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro, on July 27, 2013
View photoTurkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) …By Humeyra PamukRelated StoriesANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused a U.S.-based cleric of conspiring against him with the opposition by faking recordings, and dared him to „stand up in the squares” and do his politics in Turkey.An audio track purporting to be of Erdogan giving his son business advice was posted anonymously on YouTube on Wednesday, following one earlier in the week that fuelled a simmering government corruption scandal and unnerved markets.Addressing his first campaign rally for March’s local elections since the recordings appeared, a combative Erdogan said Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen had collaborated with the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP) to spread the fabricated „montage”.”Hodja (scholar), if you have not done anything wrong, then don’t live in Pennsylvania. If your country is Turkey, then come back to your country,” Erdogan told thousands of supporters in the southern town of Burdur, using Gulen’s honorific title.”If you want to go into politics, then stand up in the squares and do politics,” he said to cheers, throwing down the gauntlet to a cleric widely held to have considerable sway over parts of the state bureaucracy but less influence at the ballot box.Gulen, whose followers say they number in the millions, is believed to have built up influence in the police and judiciary over decades and leads a powerful worldwide Islamic movement from a forested compound in Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountains.Erdogan’s supporters accuse the cleric of orchestrating the corruption investigation, which erupted in mid-December with the arrest of businessmen close to him and of three ministers’ sons, in a bid to unseat him.POPULARITY LITTLE CHANGED-Opinion polls taken before Monday’s posting showed Erdogan’s popularity little affected by the corruption scandal. Political analysts suggest followers of Gulen’s Hizmet (Service) movement account for around 3-5 percent of voters.Through his lawyer, Gulen has described the accusation of complicity in the tapes as unjust and contributing to an atmosphere of „hatred and enmity” in Turkish society.Erdogan’s rift with a man who long supported the rise of his Islamist-rooted AK Party has grown into one of the greatest challenges of his 11 years in power. CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu played the first recording during his weekly group meeting at parliament on Tuesday.”CHP’s Hodja from overseas has handed a montage to the general manager of CHP and assigned this mission to him,” Erdogan said. „He told him … we will prepare montages from here and you will talk about our montages in your group meetings.”Erdogan has said the recording posted on Monday, in which he allegedly tells his son Bilal to dispose of large sums of cash as the corruption detentions begin, was faked by his political enemies.The audio track posted on Wednesday under the pseudonym „Haramzadeler” purported to be of Erdogan advising Bilal to hold out for a better offer in an unspecified business deal.”The others are bringing. Why can’t he bring? What do they think this business is? … But don’t worry, they will fall into our lap,” says the voice on the recording.Reuters could not verify the authenticity of either recording and one of Erdogan’s four deputy prime ministers told reporters that Wednesday’s recordings were also fabricated.”On yesterday’s developments, almost everyone agrees that they are a montage,” Emrullah Isler said at a ceremony in Sudan, describing those responsible as an „illegitimate gang”.”A sort of political engineering is planned in Turkey through blackmail and tapes,” he said.POLICE OFFICER IDENTIFIED–Government officials say the Hizmet network has been illegally tapping thousands of telephones in Turkey for years to concoct criminal cases against its enemies and try to influence government affairs.”Can you imagine this? The police officer who works for me … places a bug in the most private part of my office,” Erdogan said, adding that the officer in question had been identified and legal proceedings started.The latest political tensions briefly unnerved the markets. The lira fell to a three-week low of 2.2525 to the dollar overnight, with nervousness over the graft scandal compounded by worries over mounting tension in Ukraine, but bounced back to 2.2255 by 1535 GMT.No company names are mentioned in Wednesday’s audio recording but the voice purported to be Bilal Erdogan refers to a „Mr. Sitki”, saying he could not carry out a transaction.An accompanying text within the YouTube clip says the reference is to Sitki Ayan, the chairman of Istanbul-based company Turang Transit Tasimacilik. The basis for that conclusion was not clear.It could not immediately be determined what ties, if any, Turang or its chairman have to the Erdogan family.Representatives of Turang were not immediately available to comment on Thursday.Turang received a licence in 2010 to build part of a pipeline intended to carry Iranian and Turkmen gas to Europe through Turkey, according to its website.It was granted government incentives including tax exemptions on investments of up to 11.5 billion lira ($5.2 bln) in December, according to the Economy Ministry’s website.($1 = 2.2279 Turkish lira)(Additional reporting by Asli Kandemir and Orhan Coskun; Writing by Nick Tattersall and Daren Butler; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
N. Korea snubs South request on detained missionary
By AFP | AFP – 10 minutes ago
View PhotoAFP/Ju Dong-Shik/AFP/File – South Korean missionary Kim Jeong-Wook gives a lecture at a church in Cheorwon, on November 20, 2013
AFP – vor 34 Minuten
AFP/Joe Klamar – Hollywood fiebert den Oscars entgegen
Foto anzeigen„12 Years a Slave”-Hauptdarsteller Ejiofor
Foto anzeigenChristian Bale spielt Hauptrolle in „American Hustle”
Foto anzeigenLeonardo DiCaprio ist der „Wolf of Wall Street”
Foto anzeigenSteve Coogan und Judi Dench
Foto anzeigenAmy Adams als beste Hauptdarstellerin nominiert
Foto anzeigenRoter Teppich wird für die Oscars ausgerollt„Der Film beruht auf einer wahren Begebenheit” – diesen Hinweis im Vorspann haben die meisten Kinogänger irgendwann schon einmal gesehen. Bei der diesjährigen Oscar-Verleihung am Sonntag in Los Angeles haben auffallend viele Streifen Gewinnchancen, deren Handlung sich so ähnlich schon einmal im echten Leben abgespielt hat. Branchenkenner wollen einen Trend zu mehr Realität im Filmbusiness erkennen.Sechs der neun Anwärter in der Königskategorie „Bester Film des Jahres” basieren auf realen Ereignissen. Die Gaunerkomödie „American Hustle” erzählt die haarsträubende Geschichte der Operation Abscam, bei der die US-Bundespolizei FBI in den 1970er Jahren mit Hilfe eines Trickbetrügers und eines falschen Scheichs korrupte Politiker ins Visier nahm. Das Historiendrama „12 Years a Slave” handelt vom Leben des 1841 in die Sklaverei verschleppten Afroamerikaners Solomon Northup, der über sein Martyrium einst eine Autobiographie verfasste.Auch „Dallas Buyers Club” hat eine Vorlage aus der Wirklichkeit: Der Film thematisiert die Lebensgeschichte von Ron Woodroof, ein einst schwulenfeindlicher Draufgänger, der nach einer HIV-Diagnose für die Rechte von Aidskranken eintrat. Der Actionthriller „Captain Phillips” basiert auf dem Piratenangriff auf das unter US-Flagge fahrende Containerschiff Maersk Alabama im Jahr 2009 vor der somalischen Küste.”The Wolf of Wall Street”, ein Sittengemälde der New Yorker Finanzwelt, beruht auf den Memoiren des Aktienhändlers und verurteilten Betrügers Jordan Belfort. Einem von Belforts früheren Kollegen, der in dem Streifen als sex- und drogensüchtiger Krimineller mit schlecht sitzendem Toupet dargestellt wird, ging die Charakterzeichnung zu weit: Er verklagte die Produktionsfirma Paramount Pictures vergangene Woche auf 25 Millionen Dollar Schadenersatz und forderte die sofortige Verbannung des Films aus den Kinos.Inspiration für den britischen Film „Philomena” ist das Leben der irischen Krankenschwester Philomena Lee, die sich nach ihrer Pensionierung mit Hilfe eines Journalisten auf die Suche nach ihrem lange verlorenen Sohn begibt. Den Jungen hatte sie als unverheiratete Frau geboren, und das Kind war damals im streng katholischen Irland zur Adoption freigegeben worden. Allein der Weltraum-Thriller „Gravity”, das Roadmovie „Nebraska” und die Science-Fiction-Komödie „Her”, die ebenfalls für einen Oscar als bester Film nominiert sind, entstammen der Phantasie der Drehbuchschreiber.Der Anteil an Topfilmen mit wahrem Hintergrund ist mit zwei Dritteln in diesem Jahr deutlich größer als bei allen Oscar-Verleihungen der jüngeren Zeit. „Es war immer irgendwie im Trend, aber es ist in den vergangenen Jahren explodiert”, sagt die US-Filmkritikerin Molly Haskell über die Beliebtheit von Filmstoffen mit realen Bezügen. „Ich denke, das Publikum scheint diese Wahrheit, oder Pseudo-Wahrheit, zu wollen, so wie Leser nach Autobiographien verlangen. Vielleicht können wir der Fiktion nicht länger glauben.”Eine wahre Begebenheit scheint den Gewinnchancen bei den Oscars keinen Abbruch zu tun, im Gegenteil: Vergangenes Jahr wurde der Thriller „Argo” über die spektakuläre Befreiung von US-Geiseln aus dem Iran 1979 als bester Film ausgezeichnet. Bei den Oscars 2011 siegte „The King’s Speech” über den stotternden britischen König George VI., der sein Land mit einer Rede auf den Kampf gegen Nazi-Deutschland einschwören musste. Der Preis für den besten Film 2009 ging an „Tödliches Kommando – The Hurt Locker”, dem die Erfahrungen eines Journalisten mit einer Einheit von Bombenentschärfern im Irakkrieg zu Grunde liegt.Tim Gray von der Branchenzeitschrift „Variety” glaubt, dass die zunehmende Wirklichkeitsnähe des Kinos auf den Erfolg des Reality-Fernsehens folgt: „Aus irgendeinem Grund sind wir als Gesellschaft von der Realität besessen.” Die Menschen filmen und fotografieren sich, die Ergebnisse werden ins Internet gestellt. „Wir spielen in unserer eigenen Lebensgeschichte”, sagte Gray. „Da scheint es nur logisch, im Kino etwas Reales zu sehen.”AFP – vor 1 Stunde 0 Minuten
AFP/Rodrigo Arangua – Die Arbeiten am Panama-Kanal können weitergehen Der Streit um die Mehrkosten beim Ausbau des Panamakanals ist nach Angaben des Firmenkonsortiums GUPC beigelegt. Nach langen Verhandlungen mit der Kanalbehörde gebe es eine „prinzipielle Einigung”, teilte das von der spanischen Firma Sacyr angeführte Konsortium am Freitag mit. Die Dokumente würden „in Kürze” unterzeichnet. Die Einigung sieht laut GUPC vor, dass ein Schiedsgericht entscheidet, wer die Verantwortung für die Mehrkosten trägt.In dem Streit geht es um eine erwartete Kostensteigerung von rund 1,6 Milliarden Dollar (1,2 Milliarden Euro). Grund sind geologische Probleme. Beide Seiten werfen sich gegenseitig vor, für die Kostensteigerung verantwortlich zu sein. Das Konsortium GUPC hatte die Ausbauarbeiten wegen des Streits für zwei Wochen komplett ausgesetzt.Der 1914 eröffnete Kanal soll verbreitert werden, um größeren Containerfrachtern die Durchfahrt zu ermöglichen. Der Panamakanal verbindet Pazifik und Atlantik und macht auf diese Weise für Schiffe den teuren und schwierigen Weg um das Kap Hoorn an der Südspitze Amerikas überflüssig. Dem aktuellen Zeitplan zufolge sollen die Arbeiten im kommenden Jahr abgeschlossen werden.
Bitcoin-Krise verschärft sich: Größte Börse Mt.Gox insolvent
dpa – vor 28 Minuten
dpa/Jens Kalaene – Die Schließung von Mt.Gox stürzte die Währung Bitcoin in eine Vertrauenskrise. Foto: Jens Kalaenedpa – vor 2 Stunden 31 Minuten
dpa/epa Michael Reynolds – Der Tian’anmen-Platz in Peking. Hier hatte die kommunistische Führung 1989 die Demokratiebewegung blutig niederschlagen lassen. Foto: Michael Reynolds/Archiv Die Angehörigen der Opfer der blutigen Niederschlagung der chinesischen Demokratiebewegung 1989 fordern eine Aufarbeitung des Massakers vor 25 Jahren.In einem Brief appellieren sie an die Delegierten des Volkskongresses, der am Mittwoch in Peking zu seiner Jahrestagung zusammenkommt, «das Schweigen zu brechen».Die Wahrheit müsse aufgedeckt, die Opfer entschädigt und die Verantwortlichen zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden, heißt es in dem Appell des Netzwerkes der «Tian’anmen-Mütter», den die Menschenrechtsgruppe Human Rights in China (HRiC) am Freitag verbreitete.Die Delegierten sollten ihrem Gewissen folgen. Es wäre schon Fortschritt, wenn es überhaupt zu einer Diskussion darüber käme. Alle Führer, von Jiang Zemin über Hu Jintao und jetzt Xi Jinping redeten nicht über das Massaker vom 4. Juni 1989 – als wenn es nicht passiert, in weite Ferne entrückt und «der Schatten nicht mehr zu sehen wäre». Auf ihre jährlichen Appelle haben die Angehörigen, die während der Tagung meist unter besonderer Beobachtung der Staatssicherheit stehen, noch nie eine Antwort bekommen.Die genaue Zahl der Opfer des Militäreinsatzes gegen die friedlichen Demonstranten in der Nacht zum 4. Juni 1989 ist nicht bekannt, doch dürften es einige hundert gewesen sein.
