Ukraine: Gangs 'Smuggle Weapons Into Crimea'

We travelled by road from the Ukrainian capital Kiev to Crimea in the far south.

The journey takes you through endless farmland, ploughed fields of the famous black earth and soviet monuments to the fallen of the Second World War.

As we approached the border we were stopped at a checkpoint by unidentified armed men in combat fatigues.

At first they tried to grab our camera, but Sky News' Moscow bureau cameraman, Vadim Nechaev, managed to talk them around.

They searched our car and wanted to take our body armour - we could see several of the guards already sporting 'press' flak jackets, new press helmets in hand.

Our team is usually based in Russia and our foreign ministry accreditation seemed to help - eventually they were persuaded to allow us in and they decided they wanted to show us their side of the story instead.

Katie Stallard was stopped at the border

They describe themselves as 'peaceful citizens' - local volunteers providing security against what they claim is a coup being perpetrated by 'fascists and thugs'.

"I'm from Sevastopol I'm a peaceful citizen, I'm a pensioner," one guard told us.

"I'm just making sure that everything is in order here at the entrance to Crimea, that no-one is smuggling anything that could turn our Crimea into another Maidan (Kiev's Independence Square)."

They took us to see a stockpile of weapons they claim they have seized from cars on the way into Crimea.

They showed us shotguns, hunting rifles, axes, and ammunition, along with a photo they say shows a sniper in army fatigues.

Evidence, they insist of armed gangs from Kiev.

Some of the weapons seized by the militia

A masked man told us: "I am asking you please look at this. I think these barbarians and Nazis, these nationalists, were trying and are still trying to turn our Slavic world into hell."

As we were filming we saw a man and woman being forced out of their car at gunpoint - the guards claimed they had found rifles.

The woman was crying, the man was handcuffed.

It is not clear what they planned to do with them.

Some of the guards were Cossacks from Kuban in southern Russia.

They told us they had come to help their countrymen fight against fascists and thugs.

"This is the land of our ancestors," their leader told us, "who spilled their blood in the Second World War."

"Now the fascists are on the rise again and we are here to show that it's not going to work."

They were flying the Russian flag from the checkpoint and we saw an empty Russian army truck leave their camp, but they insisted they were not acting on orders from Moscow.

They said the Kremlin should send troops to help them fight, to defend Russian citizens' rights.

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Russia Stands With Putin Over Ukraine Gamble

President Vladimir Putin asked his parliament for permission to use Russian troops in Ukraine, but the result was never in doubt.

His senate voted unanimously in favour with almost palpable glee, applauding themselves as they did.

Where much of the international community sees a leader dangerously poised on the verge of annexing Crimea, his supporters see much to like.

The case that Mr Putin is making is one that resonates well in Russia: that he is being forced to act to protect the lives of Russian citizens, compatriots, and Russian armed forces in Ukraine.

In other words, that he is defending Russian national interests and lives.

That much of the rest of the world considers those interests to be part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine is not necessarily a problem for Russia.

In Moscow, the state propaganda machine is already in overdrive, dismissing Oleksandr Turchynov as the "self-imposed president" and dismissing the mass protest movement as extremists and armed gangs.

Mr Putin has made his case and he will likely stick to it: that a legitimately-elected president has been overthrown and Russian citizens are under threat.

Mr Putin is ignoring international opinion to defend Russia's interests

And there are ever-increasing numbers of them to protect. An estimated 143,000 Ukrainians have been issued with Russian passports in the last two weeks, including members of the Berkut riot police.

The old Kremlin tactic of passport politics seems to be alive and flourishing in Ukraine.

The next 24 hours will see the inevitable volley of stern diplomatic warnings and rhetoric from all sides, but Moscow will be scrutinising all those words for any real threat of action, and so far there is not much to fear.

One commentator characterised US President Barack Obama's latest statement on Ukraine as: "Stop, or I'll say stop again."

The US has now paused preparations for this summer's Russian-hosted G8 summit.

Mr Putin does not respond to threats of condemnation. He has never sought approval, just respect.

He wants Russia to be seen as a great superpower once again, and himself as its strongman president.

If that means playing the bad cop in the West and weathering a diplomatic storm, he probably will not lose much sleep.

For Russia, this is about more than just the loss of Ukraine joining the EU. It's about Europe, Nato - the old Cold War bogeyman of the West - advancing right up to the Russian border, and Moscow does not like that at all.

Mr Putin wants to defend his sphere of influence and the national interest. They count for much more in the Kremlin than whether Mr Obama does or does not come to Sochi for G8.

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China Stabbing: 33 Killed In Station Massacre

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

At least 33 people have been killed and more than 130 wounded in a mass stabbing at a Chinese railway station.

The "organised and premeditated" attack at Kunming train station in the country's southwestern Yunnan province was carried out by separatists from the volatile Xinjiang province in the far west, state media claimed.

Reports from the city suggest a group of people armed with knives entered the train station at about 9pm local time on Saturday and attacked travellers with knives indiscriminately.

Photos on Chinese social media show horrific scenes with blooded bodies and luggage strewn across the station concourse.

According to the People's Daily Weibo account, the attack lasted just 12 minutes, meaning there was a stabbing about every four seconds.

One local resident, Yang Haifei, told China's Xinhua news agency he was attacked and sustained injuries on his chest and back.

Police sealed off the scene of the attack

Mr Yang said he was buying a ticket when he saw a group of people, most dressed in black, rush into the station and start their attack.

"I saw a person come straight at me with a long knife and I ran away with everyone," he said.

Unconfirmed reports suggest police shot and killed some of the attackers and detained others.

Chinese police are not routinely armed which may explain why the perpetrators were able to attack so many people before being stopped.

Eyewitness reports, seen by Sky News, said there is tension across Kunming amid concern that further attacks may be planned at other locations in the city.

Train stations in Chinese cities are vast and usually extremely busy.

A man is treated after being injured in the mass stabbing

The Kunming city government said the attack was orchestrated by ethnic separatists from Xinjiang Province, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper used its Sunday editorial to describe the attack as "China's 9/11".

"It was a typical terrorist attack and also a severe crime against the humanity. It was China's "9/11" the editorial read.

"Any explanation for the attack, like those in previous cases elsewhere in China, would be feeble at the bloody scene, where mothers, sons and daughters were slaughtered by strangers. Nothing justifies such a carnage against innocent civilians."

Extreme elements of the Muslim population who live in Xinjiang, 2,500 miles to the North of Kunming, have carried out attacks in the past - most recently in Beijing's Tiananmen Square last year.

The Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang believe their freedoms, culture and religion are being eroded and severely restricted by the Chinese authorities.

Xinjiang has experienced repeated outbreaks of violence but the Chinese authorities have, until now, largely managed to contain the violence within the province.

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Nigeria: Three Attacks Kill At Least 90

Two car bomb explosions at a busy marketplace in Nigeria have killed at least 51 people, while 39 people were killed by gunmen nearby.

The blasts happened in the northeast city of Maiduguri which is the birthplace of the country's Islamic extremist terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The explosions took place on Saturday night, and caused some buildings to collapse, burying people in the rubble.

The victims included children dancing at a wedding celebration and people watching a football match at an outdoor cinema.

The first blast came from a truck carrying firewood and caused few casualties. Most people were killed by a car which exploded as people rushed to the scene of the first blast.

Women wait for news of loved ones outside a hospital

Survivors said they captured a man who jumped out of the car, grabbed a tricycle taxi and tried to make off. He was badly beaten and taken to nearby Umaru Shehu General Hospital.

Some 30 miles away in Mainok, dozens of attackers dressed in military uniforms fired rocket propelled grenades and Kalashnikovs as people prepared for prayers.

Resident Yahaya Umar said: "They came in around 7pm and opened fire indiscriminately with RPGs, explosives and AK-47 rifles.

"They killed 39 people who were buried this morning and destroyed the whole town."

The attacks are a major setback to a new army and air force offensive under new commanders against the Islamic uprising, after President Goodluck Jonathan fired his entire military command in January.

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Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Declaring War

Ukraine's leader has accused Russia of declaring war on his country and warned the nation was on the "brink of disaster".

Appealing to the international community for help Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said: "This is the red alert, this is not a threat, this is actually a declaration of war to my country."

Ukraine has mobilised its military and called up all its reserves after Russia gave the go-ahead to send more troops into the country, in what has become the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.

Suspected Russian troops have surrounded a Ukrainian military base

It came amid warnings the deepening crisis is just "a pace away from catastrophe", where the smallest act could take it "over the edge".

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned Moscow's "incredible act of aggression" in Ukraine, and warned of "very serious repercussions" including sanctions to isolate Russia economically.

"You just don't in the 21st century behave in a 19th century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped up pretext," he told the CBS programme Face The Nation.

Nato's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.

"What Russia is doing now in Ukraine violates the principles of the United Nations charter. It threatens peace and security in Europe," he said.

Ukrainian soldiers have blocked the entrance to the base with a tank

In response to the military action in Ukraine, Britain and France have pulled out of preparations for a summit of world leaders in the Russian resort of Sochi in June.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is flying to the Ukrainian capital Kiev, said the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity had been "violated".

He said: "Our response is diplomatic and peaceful and it should be. That is our response but it will be a very united diplomatic response and not just from the Western world, I think, but from many other countries in the world and that is something that Russia will have to think hard about."

Russian forces have taken over the Ukraine's southeast Crimea region where Moscow has a naval base, and more troops are on their way, prompting accusations of a "military invasion".

Despite mounting international condemnation, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared he has the right to protect Russian citizens and interests in Ukraine.

This is the same justification used in the 2008 invasion of Georgia over two breakaway regions, which have large ethnic Russian populations.

People attend a rally in Kiev against Russian intervention in Ukraine

US president Barack Obama warned Mr Putin during a 90-minute phone call that Russia had flouted international law and urged him to withdraw forces.

In the latest development of the unfolding crisis, hundreds of suspected Russian troops have surrounded a Ukraine military base, preventing soldiers from going in or out.

The convoy blockading the site near the region's capital Simferopol includes at least 17 military vehicles, which have Russian number plates.

The Ukrainian personnel inside have blocked the gate with a tank.

Meanwhile, Ukraine withdrew its coastguard vessels from two ports in Crimea and moved them to other Black Sea bases, in a sign that Russia was completing its seizure of the peninsula.

There have also been more pro-Moscow demonstrations in east Ukraine, where most people speak Russian.

But in Kiev's Independence Square, where months of protests led to the downfall of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, there were demonstrations against military action.

Speaking about the Ukraine, former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, who served in the special forces, told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "I think we are a pace away from catastrophe at the moment.

People pose for a picture in front of an armoured vehicle in Crimea

"It would require one foolish act, I don't know, a trigger happy Russian soldier, a Ukrainian guard who acts aggressively at one of these institutions that has been taken over by Russia or Russian supporters.

"A foolish act now could tip us over the edge.

"The one thing that is absolutely essential now is that the West speaks with a single voice."

"The smallest tremor, the smallest act now could take us over the edge."

This was echoed by Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, who told Murnaghan: "It only requires one person to make a mistake for things to go very badly wrong."

Former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind also warned of the dangers posed by the deepening crisis.

He told Dermot Murnaghan: "There is no doubt this is probably the most serious crisis since the Cold War.

"This has to be a defining moment in the West's relationship with Russia.

"There are very serious implications for the whole of Europe."

Ukraine's population is divided in loyalties between Russia and the West.

Much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the European Union. However, the eastern and southern regions look to Russia for support.

Crimea has 2.3 million inhabitants, most of whom identify themselves as ethnic Russians and speak Russian.

More follows...

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Oscar Pistorius: Lawyers Prepare For Showdown

Two very different versions of what happened in the moments before Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp died have already been heard in court.

The athlete stands trial on Monday accused of her murder in a case that will make South African history as the first to be broadcast live for millions around the world to follow.

He denies the charge, claiming he mistook Ms Steenkamp for a burglar when he shot her in the early hours of Valentine's Day, 2013.

The prosecution says Pistorius, 26, fired his gun four times into the door of a bathroom, knowing his girlfriend was inside after an argument.

Reeva Steenkamp was 'unarmed and defenceless', according to the prosecution

It is alleged she locked herself in the room after fleeing down a seven-metre passage from the bedroom at the runner's luxury home in Pretoria.

According to details outlined at previous hearings, the prosecution argues Pistorius followed her with his 9mm pistol, first putting on his prosthetic legs.

It is claimed he shot his gun four times through the door, killing an "unarmed and defenceless" woman, before the door was broken open from the outside.

The prosecution has rejected claims of mistaken identity - that Pistorius believed the person inside the bathroom was a burglar.

The defence, meanwhile, has alleged the defendant had "no intention" of killing Ms Steenkamp and was bereft at her death.

According to this version of events, Pistorius heard a noise in the early hours and thought an intruder had come through a bathroom window and was hiding there.

Defence lawyers claim he felt vulnerable and shouted for the intruder to get out and for Ms Steenkamp to call police.

It was dark and Pistorius thought Ms Steenkamp was lying on her bed, not that she was in the bathroom, lawyers have argued.

Pistorius speaks with his lawyer Kenny Oldwage at an earlier hearing

They claim Pistorius hobbled to the bathroom on his stumps and fired his gun - a 9mm pistol he kept under his bed because he had received death threats.

After the shooting, they said, he returned to his bed and saw Ms Steenkamp was not there.

It is alleged he shouted for help, broke open a door with a cricket bat and found she was alive before carrying her downstairs.

Pistorius wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp, not kill her, his lawyers claim.

Pistorius said he wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp, not kill her

The court battle will pit the wits of two of South Africa's leading lawyers and is expected to hear from 100 witnesses.

Pistorius has hired Kenny Oldwage, famous for helping acquit the man accused of killing Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter Zenani in a drink-driving car crash.

He has also hired Barry Roux, known in court for his scarlet ties.

The trial will be one of South Africa's biggest ever legal showdowns, with Pistorius' team going up against veteran prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Reeva Steenkamp's parents June and Barry. Pic: Channel 5

The judge will be Thokozile Matilda Masipa, a former crime reporter who became only the second black woman to be appointed to the high court in 1988.

The trial, which takes place in Pretoria, will have no jurors, since trial by jury was abolished in South Africa under apartheid in 1969.

Ms Steenkamp's mother, June, has indicated she will attend the trial.

However, her father, Barry, is expected to be at home, recovering from a near-fatal stroke, which his brother said happened while reading a newspaper report about the trial.

A layout of Pistorius' house in Pretoria, South Africa

Cameras will be able to "obtain a video and audio recording of the permitted portions" of the trial.

However, they will not be able to film the Olympic champion, defence witnesses or anyone else who objects to being on camera.

The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder in South Africa is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison.

:: Sky News will have live coverage of the trial from Monday, with a special highlights programme at 9.30pm.

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Pistorius 'In Love' With Reeva: Exclusive

Reeva Steenkamp: The Girl Behind The Name

Updated: 2:00pm UK, Friday 28 February 2014

Reeva Steenkamp was born in the South African city of Cape Town in August 1983, to horse trainer Barry Steenkamp and his second wife, June.

The family later moved to Port Elizabeth where she and her siblings grew up.

She attended St Dominic's Priory High School and, at the age of 15, entered a beauty competition organised through her local newspaper where she was spotted by the paper's then beauty editor, Barbara Robertson

"She was 15, and a young 15," Ms Robertson told Sky News.

"There was nothing sophisticated about her. She was sweet, down to earth, earthy ... just one of those girls who had the 'it' factor ... a little bit (of an) early Kate Moss."

While friends speak of an ultimate desire to marry and have a family, the young woman always expected to enjoy a career of her own.

She took a law degree in case her modelling career did not work out.

But the modelling side took off and the gauche, unsophisticated girl from Port Elizabeth moved on to Johannesburg to seek her success.

Originally a brunette, Steenkamp dyed her hair blonde and soon after broke into the glossy world of magazine modelling.

She made the cover of FHM but, said Ms Robertson, the model remained true to herself.

"The front pages made out she was this brazen blonde with boobs hanging out," she said in an interview with The Guardian.

"She was more than a model. She was Reeva. She had studied law at university. I don't think she was seeking bright lights and fame and fortune.

"She was spreading her wings. If she got noticed, what's wrong with that? It doesn't make her a celeb-seducer."

While she continued modelling and was popular on South Africa's A-list circuit, Steenkamp's legal ambitions appeared to resurface.

The future looked bright as she applied to the Bar in 2011, hoping to qualify as a legal advocate by 2013.

Her TV career also looked promising, with a part in a reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure that looked likely to lead to further opportunities in her professional life.

In November 2012, she began going out with Oscar Pistorius and the couple were said to be deeply in love.

Three months later, Reeva Steenkamp was dead.

:: Sky News will have live coverage of the trial from Monday, with a special highlights programme at 9.30pm.

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Russia Shows Its Muscle As Crimea Breaks Away

Whatever the government in Ukraine says or does, events on the ground suggest that Crimea has already for all intents and purposes broken away; certainly Kiev's orders no longer stretch as far as this region.

Unidentified gunmen have taken over the parliament and the region's main airports in the space of 24 hours.

They would not answer when I questioned them and asked if they had been sent by Moscow.

In many ways it did not matter - their appearance pretty much gave the game away.

They carried Kalashnikovs, they spoke Russian and their combat fatigues looked suspiciously like Russian issue - albeit without insignia.

The way they moved and patrolled the airports suggested too that this was no dad's army but a well-trained unit doing a professional job.

At times as they stomped up and down ostentatiously it seemed as though they were there just for the cameras.

It was perhaps a signal from the Kremlin that it could put its men on the ground whenever it wanted and there was nothing anyone else could do.

It was a projection of power and reach.

Elsewhere images were captured of Russian helicopters flying into the airport at Sevastopol: yet another direct challenge to the authority of the government in Kiev.

The acting interior minister called the action an invasion and an occupation.

Moscow denies that it has violated Ukrainian sovereignty - officially at least it says it respects its neighbour's borders.

But the pro-European government setting itself up in Kiev is seen as a threat by Moscow.

Ukraine has always been viewed by the Russian ruling elite as part of its sphere of influence.

Moscow may have lost the Western part of Ukraine (for now?) but you can bet it will not allow the same thing to happen in the south and the eastern parts of the country.

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Newborn Baby Rescued After Rough Seas Hit Boat

A newborn baby was among 100 migrants who had to be rescued after their boat was caught in rough seas near Sicily.

The Italian Navy and coastguard intercepted the vessel off the coast of Lampedusa because of its precarious position and lack of life jackets.

The baby was treated by medical workers as a precaution but was said to be in good health.

Among the group were 23 women and 46 children, and the passengers were said to be of sub-Saharan origin.

In a separate operation, the Italian coastguard said it had rescued 12 Tunisian migrants whose dinghy had gone adrift near the island of Pantelleria.

The alarm had been raised by a relative of one of the passengers.

Two pregnant women were said to be among the group, who were then taken to port in Pantelleria.

The '"challenging" rescue operation had been slowed down by the darkness and lack of precise information about the migrants' location.

Last October, hundreds of people died after a boat carrying African asylum seekers caught fire and sank off Lampedusa.

It was one of the worst Mediterranean refugee disasters.

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Ukraine: Russia Approves Military Action

Russian President Vladimir Putin has got the go-ahead from parliament to use the country's military in Ukraine in a marked escalation of the crisis.

The Kremlin has already been accused of sending 6,000 troops into Crimea despite calls by Britain and the US for Moscow to back off.

Mr Putin said the use of the armed forces was needed in the southeastern region to protect its majority ethnic Russian population, and personnel of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based there.

Russian soldiers are guarding buildings in Crimea it has been confirmed

In response, Ukraine's Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has called an emergency meeting of security chiefs.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian demonstrations were held in major cities in the east and south of the country, which remain loyal to Moscow, where supporters of the new Ukrainian government in Kiev were beaten up.

Tensions continue to rise amid reports that Russian and Ukrainian troops are trying to gain control of key sites in Crimea.

The autonomous republic has a prime minister loyal to Moscow but the government in Kiev has vowed to maintain the country's territorial integrity.

Reports suggest that Russian troops are trying to occupy an anti-aircraft missile base and have taken control of airports on the peninsular.

After unrest in Kiev, tensions have shifted to the Crimea region

Ukraine's border guard service said about 300 armed men were attempting to seize its main headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol.

Russian helicopter gunships have also been seen in Ukrainian airspace.

But there were claims by Russia that gunmen from Kiev had been sent overnight to seize the offices of Crimea's interior ministry.

There was grainy footage of an unidentified armed group breaking into a building, with smoke rising and reports that people had been "wounded".

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "As a result of the treacherous provocation, there are wounded.

A soldier stands next to a sign that says: "Crimea Russia"

"With decisive actions by self-defence groups, the attempt to seize the interior ministry building was averted.

"This confirms the desire of prominent political circles in Kiev to destabilise the peninsula."

The pro-Moscow Prime Minister of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, has appealed to Russia for help in keeping the peace there.

He has confirmed service personnel from Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol, were guarding key buildings.

In what appears to be an orchestrated move, a referendum on whether residents in Crimea want greater independence from Ukraine has been brought forward by two months to March 30.

Russia claims gunmen from Kiev tried to seize Crimea's interior ministry

Russia's Lower House of Parliament, the Duma, has called on President Vladimir Putin "to take measures to stabilise the situation in Crimea".

And in a further ratcheting up of pressure on Ukraine, Russia said it saw "no reason" to extend a previously agreed gas discount due to unpaid debts.

To add to Ukraine's financial woes, the country's finance minister said it is unlikely to receive financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund before April due to the continuing turmoil.

US President Barack Obama has warned Moscow that any military intervention in Ukraine would be "deeply destabilising".

British Foreign Secretary William Hague says he has spoken to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov calling for a de-escalation in Crimea, and respect for Ukraine sovereignty.

People march through the Crimean city of Simferopol waving Russian flags

France and Germany have also raised concerns over developments in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Prime Minister said his country would not be drawn into a military conflict by Russian "provocations", and appealed to Moscow to halt military movements in the region.

Arseny Yatseniuk said: "It is unacceptable when armoured Russian military vehicles are out in the centre of Ukrainian towns."

Mr Obama has called on Russia to respect the independence and territory of Ukraine.

"Any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilising," he said.

"The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine."

Mr Hague will visit the country on Sunday and hold talks with Ukraine's new leaders.

Crimea has become a flashpoint for tensions between Russia and Ukraine after the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych, a Moscow ally, following months of protests which escalated into deadly violence.

Ukraine's 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 look to Russia for support.

Crimea has 2.3 million inhabitants, most of whom identify themselves as ethnic Russians and speak Russian.

More follows...

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