Ukraine on ‘brink of disaster’

Ukraine's army is put on full combat alert, while the United States calls for the immediate deployment of international monitors to the former Soviet republic. Sarah Toms reports.

In force ... a convoy of hundreds of Russian troops has headed toward the capital of Ukraine's Crimea region. Picture: Darko Vojinovic Source: AP

UKRAINE'S Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has warned that his crisis-hit country is on the "brink of disaster'', accusing Russia of declaring war in a bleak appeal to the international community.

"This is the red alert, this is not a threat, this is actually a declaration of war to my country,'' he told reporters in English, a day after Russia's parliament approved the deployment of troops to Ukraine.

"If President Putin wants to be the president who started a war between two neighbouring and friendly countries, between Ukraine and Russia, he has reached his target within a few inches. We are on the brink of the disaster."

A convoy of hundreds of Russian troops headed toward the capital of Ukraine's Crimea region on Sunday, and a group of 1000 armed men were blocking the entrance to a unit of Ukraine's border guards in a tense standoff in the south of the flashpoint Crimea peninsula Sunday, the defence ministry said.

"One thousand armed fighters and around 20 trucks are blocking the perimetre of the 36th brigade of border guards ... in Perevalne,'' the ministry said in a statement, as tensions remain high after Russia's parliament approved the deployment of troops in Ukraine. It did not indicate what nationality the armed men were.

The new government in Kiev has been powerless to react. Ukraine's parliament was meeting on Sunday in a closed session.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine.

Escalation ... heavily-armed troops displaying no identifying insignia stand guard outside a local government building in Simferopol, Ukraine. Picture: Sean Gallup Source: Getty Images

There has been no sign of ethnic Russians facing attacks in Crimea, where they make up about 60 per cent of the population, or elsewhere in Ukraine. Russia maintains an important naval base on Crimea.

President Barack Obama spoke with Mr Putin by telephone for 90 minutes on Saturday and expressed his "deep concern'' about "Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity,'' the White House said. Mr Obama warned that Russia's "continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation.''

The US also said it will suspend participation in "preparatory meetings'' for the Group of Eight economic summit planned in June at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Winter Olympics were held.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius agreed, saying on French radio Europe that planning for the summit should be put on hold. France "condemns the Russian military escalation'' in Ukraine, and Moscow must "realise that decisions have costs,'' he said Sunday.

Taking sides ... Pro-Russian militants station themselves behind a row of shields in Simferopol, Ukraine. Picture: Sean Gallup Source: Getty Images

But the US and other Western governments have few options to counter Russia's military moves.

NATO's North Atlantic Council, the alliance's political decision-making body, and the NATO-Ukraine Commission were to meet on Sunday. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the allies will "coordinate closely'' on the situation in Ukraine, which he termed "grave.''

Ukraine is not a NATO member, meaning the US and Europe are not obligated to come to its defence. But Ukraine has taken part in some alliance military exercises and contributed troops to its response force.

On the road from Sevastopol, the Crimean port where Russia has its naval base, to Simferopol on Sunday morning, Associated Press journalists saw 12 military trucks carrying troops, a Tiger vehicle armed with a machine gun and also two ambulances.

Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced late Saturday that he had ordered Ukraine's armed forces to be at full readiness because of the threat of "potential aggression.'' He also said he had ordered stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.

'Brink of disaster' Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the Russian military actions are a 'declaration of war'. Picture: Andrew Kravchenko Source: AFP

On Crimea, however, Ukrainian troops have offered no resistance.

The new government came to power last week following months of pro-democracy protests against the now-fugitive president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his decision to turn Ukraine toward Russia instead of the European Union.

Ukraine's population of 46 million is divided in loyalties between Russia and Europe, with much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the EU, while eastern and southern regions look to Russia for support. Crimea, a semi-autonomous region that Russia gave to Ukraine in the 1950s, is mainly Russian-speaking.

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