On the heels of reports that:
- *UKRAINE WON'T RECOGNIZE CRIMEA JOINING RUSSIA: INTERFAX
The Eastern Ukraine Kharkiv region's governor Baluta warns:
- *RUSSIAN ARMY CONCENTRATED NEAR ROADS FOR QUICK INVASION: BALUTA
- *RUSSIA BOOSTS ARMY PRESENCE AT UKRAINE BORDER: KHARKIV GOVERNOR
And all of this after Putin confirmed that West's sanctions are "irresponsible and aggressive and we will respond properly."
Baluta warns about Russian troops amassing: (Via Bloomberg,)
Russian military presence has grown in last 5 days, Ihor Baluta, governor of eastern Ukrainian region, says in interview.
Baluta also says:
Russian forces concentrated along highways for rapid invasion, ~15km from border
57 Russians denied crossing into Kharkiv region today as of 10am
No resistance to Ukraine’s troop deployment in Kharkiv
10 Russians involved in attempt to storm govt building March 16
Russia “is trying to create the situation unfolding now in the south here in eastern regions”
~25% of Kharkiv residents sympathize with separatists
An Ukraine's foreign minister makes it clear that they will not accept Crimea's annexation (via Interfax,)
Ukraine will not recognize the Autonomous Republic of Crimea's and Sevastopol's accession to the Russian Federation, nor will it recognize independence of the self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
"We do not recognize and will never recognize either Crimea's so-called independence or the so-called agreement on its accession to the Russian Federation," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said at a news conference on Tuesday.