Crimea ‘to vote on joining Russia’

The crisis in Ukraine is complex. For those needing a quick primer on Russia-Ukraine tensions, economic impacts and Cold War anxiety, here is a rundown of why you should pay attention

Faceless man ... blocking the gate of the Ukrainian Navy Base in Sevastopol. Source: News Limited

• Crimeans to vote on joining Russia
• Top diplomats meet in Paris
• Ukrainian and Russian flags fly in Donetsk
• G8 meeting could be abandoned: Cameron

POLITICIANS in the embattled Crimean region of Ukraine have decided to hold a referendum on March 16 on whether Crimea should become part of Russia, a move likely to further ratchet up tensions.

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"This is our response to the disorder and lawlessness in Kiev,'' Sergei Shuvainikov, a member of the local Crimean legislature, said. "We will decide our future ourselves.''

The parliament in Crimea, which enjoys a degree of autonomy under current Ukrainian law, voted 78 with eight abstentions in favour of holding the referendum. Local voters will also be given the choice of deciding to remain part of Ukraine, but with enhanced local powers.

Seeking a solution ... Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk arriving at the EU summit in Brussels. Source: AP

There was no immediate response from the Ukrainian central government to the vote. On Wednesday, Ukraine's prime minister said that Crimea would remain part of Ukraine.

A referendum had been already scheduled in Crimea on March 30, but the question to be put to voters was on whether their region should enjoy "state autonomy'' within Ukraine.

High tension ... pro-Moscow protesters gather in front of the Ukrainian Navy Base in Sevastopol while unidentified armed men block the gate with Ukrainian soldiers trapped inside. Source: News Corp Australia

Meanwhile, Australia's Foreign minister Julie Bishop has urged those with influence over Russia to pressure Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

Ms Bishop said on Thursday night while Australia had been involved in debates with the United Nations security council on Russia's occupation in Ukraine, there was a limit to what Australia could do alone.

"So we are working with our friends and allies and others who have taken exception to Russia's aggression in breaching Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said.

"And hope that with pressure from those who have influence over Russia we will see Ukraine's integrity restored and its integrity no longer breached," she said.

Speaking outside The Sydney Institute on Thursday night, Ms Bishop said it lay in Russia's hands to ease the tensions in Ukraine.

To Russia with love ... Pro-Russia demonstrators on the balcony of the regional administrative building after storming it in Donetsk. Source: AP

Earlier, Crimea's new leader said pro-Russian forces numbering more than 11,000 now control all access to the peninsula in the Black Sea and have blockaded all military bases that have not yet surrendered.

The West has joined the new Ukrainian leadership in Kiev in demanding that Russia pull its forces from Crimea, but little progress was reported after a flurry of diplomatic activity in Paris on Wednesday involving US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Damage control ... riot police gather to prevent clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian activists in central Donetsk. Source: AFP

The European Union leaders will meet for an emergency session in Brussels to decide what sorts of sanctions they can impose on Russia over its actions in Ukraine. Moscow has threatened to retaliate if any punitive measures are put in place.

A UN special envoy sent to Crimea came under threat from armed men who forced him to leave the region.

Concern that the turmoil could engulf eastern Ukraine grew after hundreds of demonstrators - many chanting "Russia! Russia! - stormed a government building on Wednesday in Donetsk, a major industrial centre near the Russian border.

Clashes between protesters and police broke out early on Thursday in Donetsk as police cleared demonstrators from the regional administration building. The Ukrainian flag once again was hoisted over the building, and about 100 Ukrainian Interior troops could be seen in and around it. Two large trucks were parked in front to block the approach.

We won't be silenced ... demonstrators waving Russian flags break past police and into the regional administrative building in Donetsk, Ukraine. Source: AP

The European Union on Wednesday extended $US15 billion ($17 billion) in aid to help support the new Ukrainian government, which took over in late February after months of protests drove out the Moscow-supported president, Viktor Yanukovych.

The EU also imposed asset freezes against 18 people held responsible for embezzling state funds in Ukraine, including Yanukovych, his son and some of his closest allies.

Crimea's new leader, Sergei Aksyonov, said his government was in regular contact with the Russian officials, including those in a large Russian delegation now in Crimea.

Provocative ... Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a press conference in his country residence of Novo-Ogaryova outside Moscow. Source: AFP

Speaking at Crimea's government meeting late on Wednesday, Mr Aksyonov said the strategic peninsula is fully under the control of riot police and security forces joined by about 11,000 "self-defence'' troops. All or most of these troops are believed to be Russian, even though the Russian president and defence minister have denied sending in the military other than those stationed at the home port of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

Emotional ... an elderly pro-Russian activist cries as Ukrainian riot police officers stand guard in front of the regional state administration building in Donetsk. Source: AFP

Kiev wants a political solution so "it depends on Russia (if) it is ready to fix this conflict ... or is Russia reluctant and (wants) to increase tension, as they did in the past few hours,'' Mr Yatsenyuk said tonight after meeting European Parliament head Martin Schulz.

Yatsenyuk said Russian forces had again blockaded Ukraine units in Crimea, "so they are still provoking the clashes and the tension''.

"We asked Russia to respond, whether they are ready to preserve peace and stability in Europe or ready to instigate another provocation and tension in our bilateral relations,'' he said.

There's always hope ... a man prays at Independence Square in central Kiev. Source: AFP

He gave no further details of the events in Crimea.

Mr Schulz said there had just been reports about fresh Russian actions in Crimea and if confirmed, they would mean a "real danger ... and tension''.

EU leaders will have to discuss what "kind of answer can be given,'' Mr Schulz said, with meetings set to discuss a range of options amid sharp differences over how far the bloc should go.

If there are to be sanctions, "they should be precise and targeted, leading to reflection on the other side,'' he said.

Time for talk ... Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet at the Russian Ambassador's Residence in Paris. Source: AP

Earlier, the US State Department slammed Vladimir Putin for what they say are 10 false claims the Russian President has made about Ukraine.

In a media statement, the US State Department said: "As Russia spins a false narrative to justify its illegal actions in Ukraine, the world has not seen such startling Russian fiction since Dostoyevsky wrote, 'The formula "two plus two equals five" is not without its attractions.'"

The fact sheet identifies 10 assertions Putin has made which Washington said "ignore or distort" the truth.

The first claim concerns Putin's assertions that Russian forces in Crimea are only acting to protect Russian military assets and that it is "citizen groups," and not Russian forces, who have seized infrastructure and military facilities in Crimea.

"Strong evidence suggests that members of Russian security services are at the heart of the highly organised anti-Ukraine forces in Crimea," the State Department asserted.

"While these units wear uniforms without insignia, they drive vehicles with Russian military license plates and freely identify themselves as Russian security forces when asked by the international media and the Ukrainian military. Moreover, these individuals are armed with weapons not generally available to civilians."

For the full US State Department rebuttal, click here.

Measuring the loss ... two men look at bullet holes in a power pole at a spot where a protester was killed during recent clashes, near the Independence Square in central Kiev. Source: AFP

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