“We would not only see it, also as neighbours of Russia, as a threat,” she said. In an unusually robust and emotional speech, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, warned of “catastrophe” unless Russia changed course. Mamchur braved heavily armed Russians at the base as he attempted, in vain, to lead his men back to work. Article content AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. “If you do not make a decision, we will act according to the status of the Ukrainian armed forces, even opening fire if need be.” “To avoid armed confrontations, I ask you to tell us as quickly as possible what commanding officers need to do if troops or members of their families come under threat,” said Col. Illustrating the volatility of Crimea, the Ukrainian commander of an air base in Sevastopol asked his superiors in Kyiv to give him instructions should he be fired upon. He said the forces would be rebuilt “effectively from scratch.” Yanukovych had rendered the country incapable of defending itself. Turchynov said mismanagement of the security forces by Mr. Senior NATO and Russian generals discussed the moves by hotline. With tensions mounting across the region, Moscow also sent three fighter jets to Belarus at the request of its government following the deployment of 12 F-16 fighters to Poland by the U.S. “The main purpose of these actions is to completely check teamwork of the units and make them implement combat missions on an unknown territory,” the Russian defence ministry said. The measure was passed as Russia confirmed that it was conducting military manoeuvres in the Rostov, Tambov and Belgorod regions near the Ukraine border, involving 8,500 ground troops, 270 tanks and 180 armoured personnel carriers. Ukraine’s parliament voted to create the national guard from interior ministry employees and members of the militias that emerged from the pro-Western protest movement that toppled Viktor Yanukovych, the former president. “Restoring economic stability in that country is a priority for both Canada and of our international partners during this important transition period towards a Euro-Atlantic future for Ukraine,” he said. Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Thursday that Ottawa will contribute $220-million to an international effort to bailout Ukraine’s government. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.
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