Ukrainian interim
President Olexander Turchynov has warned Russia against any "military
aggression" in Crimea.
He
said Russia's troops from Russia's Black Sea Fleet should not move outside
their naval base in Sevastopol, reports BBC.
The
warning comes after armed men seized Crimea's regional parliament and the
government headquarters of the Russian-majority region.
The
Russian flag had been raised over both buildings in Simferopol. It is not clear
who the men are.
"We
ask our Russian partners to provide to stick to their... obligations, we
believe Russia would never intervene into Ukrainian domestic affairs and will refrain
from any steps that would split Ukraine," Prime Minister designate Arseniy
Yatsenyuk told the BBC.
"We
are committed to having Ukraine as one united country. We will punish anyone
for separatism in Ukraine with all legal and constitutional means," he
added.
The
warnings from Ukrainian leaders came as Russia performed a second day of
military exercises, saying its fighter jets were on "combat alert".
"Constant
air patrols are being carried out by fighter jets in the border regions,"
Russia's defence ministry told Interfax.
On
Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered a snap drill to test the combat
readiness of troops in central and western Russia, near the border with
Ukraine. Thursday's exercises appear to be part of that drill, analysts say.
The
Russian foreign ministry expressed concern over what it termed "massive
violations of human rights in Ukraine".
Amid
heightened tensions between Russia and the West, Nato Secretary General Anders
Fogh Rasmussen said he
was "concerned about developments in Crimea" and urged Russia
"not to take any action that can escalate tension".
The
US has warned against any military intervention by Russia.
Also
on Thursday, former President Viktor Yanukovych issued his first statement
since being voted out of office by MPs last week, telling Russian news agencies
he had been "compelled to ask the Russian Federation to ensure my personal
security from the actions of extremists" and that he still considered
himself the legitimate president of Ukraine.
The
state-run Itar-Tass agency quoted an official source as saying Mr Yanukovych
would be granted "protection" by Russia, although there was no official
confirmation of this.
