• published: 02 Mar 2014
• views: 203

The stand-off in Ukraines Crimea region between Moscow and Kiev is escalating. Russian military helicopters have been seen in the skies, armoured personnel carriers are on the roads and Crimeas pro-Russian leader has taken control of the military and the police. Al Jazeeras Laurence Lee reports from Simferopol on how people there are reacting to the developments.Armed with machine guns and gas masks: The dramatic moment troops under Russian command stormed a Ukrainian parliament building Masked men armed with body armour and machine guns force in doors They throw smoke canisters and usher out security personnel Footage has emerged from the takeover in Simferopol on Thursday Comes tensions soar in the region after Russia accused of sending troops President Obama has warned there will be costs if Russia intervenes Regional Crimean prime minister today claimed control over security forces These images show the dramatic moment armed men stormed a Ukrainian government building amid soaring tensions in the countrys Crimea region. Masked soldiers, said to be under Russian instruction, gather outside the door before forcing their way in to the regional parliament building in the Crimean city of Simferopol. Smoke canisters can be seen exploding inside the building as the men, holding silenced machine guns, usher out security personal in what appears to be an early-morning raid. The footage, dated from Thursday, emerges today after armed men seized airports and set up road blocks around the vital city amid soaring tensions between the new Ukrainian authorities and Russia. In response Ukraines top security official, Andriy Parubiy, said the armed men in Crimea were taking their orders from the top in Russia. These are separate groups ... [are] commanded by the Kremlin, Mr Parubiy, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, told a news briefing in Kiev. In the wake of the dramatic raid, regional leader Sergei Aksenov was appointed prime minister of the Crimea. This morning he claimed control over the regions military forces and police, and appealed to Russia for help. Russian president Vladimir Putin has kept silent on the claims of military intervention, though the country has been clear in its intentions to protect ethnic Russians in the Crimea. Ukrainian military were on high alert this morning in the region, as defence minister Ihor Tenyukh accused Russia of moving 6,000 additional troops into the country. The government has accused Moscow of deploying troops in Crimea, where Russias Black Sea fleet has a base, but Russia insists that the maneuvers are covered by an agreement with Ukraine covering its use of the base. The Russian government was warned yesterday by President Obama against intervening in the region, which he said must be allowed to choose its own fate. The disorder in the region escalated this morning as the Russian-supporting prime minister of the Crimea region, which was already partly autonomous, claimed control of all military, police and other security services in the region. He also issued a direct appeal to Mr Putin for assistance. In a statement reported by Russian news agencies, Mr Aksenov declared that the armed forces, the police, the national security service and border guards will answer only to his orders. He said any commanders who dont agree should leave their posts. The development comes after more armed men, thought to be Russian, took control of key airports and a communications center in the Crimea. The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of a military invasion and occupation - a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis, and raised fears that Moscow is moving to annex a strategic peninsula where Russias Black Sea fleet is based. Ukraines population is divided in loyalties between Russia and the West, with much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the European Union while eastern and southern regions, such as the Crimea, look to Russia for support. Crimea, a southeastern peninsula of Ukraine that has semi-autonomous status, was seized by Russian forces in the 18th century under Catherine the Great. Crimea, a southeastern peninsula of Ukraine that has semi-autonomous status, was seized by Russian forces in the 18th century under Catherine the Great. It became part of Ukraine in 1954 when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred jurisdiction from Russia, a move that was a mere formality until the 1991 Soviet collapse, which left the region part of an independent Ukraine. Mr Obama has called on Russia to respect the independence and territory of Ukraine and not try to take advantage of its neighbor, which is undergoing political upheaval. He said: Any violation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilizing.