Russia gives ultimatum to Ukraine’s Crimea forces

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the autonomous region of Crimea has reportedly given an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces in the peninsula.

The ultimatum came from Alexander Vitko, the head of Russia’s Crimean naval base, asking the Ukrainian troops in the territory either to surrender or face military action by a deadline of 5 a.m. local time (3 a.m. GMT) on Tuesday.

“If they do not surrender before 5 a.m. tomorrow, a real assault will be started against units and divisions of the armed forces across Crimea,” Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry as saying.

The ministry has not officially confirmed the report yet. Moreover, there has been no immediate comment from the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

According to recent reports, Russian military vessels have blocked the exit from Sevastopol Bay for hours and are currently standing right in the waterway leading to the Black Sea.

The upper house of the Russian parliament unanimously approved on Saturday President Vladimir Putin’s request to deploy troops into Crimea.

Moscow said the troops move comply with Russian-Ukrainian agreements to protect Russia’s Crimean naval base.

Hundreds of Russian troops reportedly headed to Simferopol, Crimea’s administrative center, on Sunday.

Political crisis erupted in Ukraine in November 2013, after the country’s ousted president Viktor Yanukovych refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.