By Mark Memmott, NPR
Update at 12:45 p.m. ET: “Total Nonsense,” Russian Official Reportedly Says:
Armed men in military uniform, believed to be Russian soldiers, were outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit in Bakhchisaray, on the Crimean Peninsula, on Monday. Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/LANDOV
Any claims that the Russian military has warned Ukraine to surrender in Crimea or face an assault on Tuesday are “total nonsense,” a Russian Defense Ministry official says, according to The Voice of Russia.
The unidentified official turned the accusation back at Ukraine, saying that “we are used to daily accusations about using force against our Ukrainian colleagues. … Efforts to make us clash won’t work.”
As we said earlier, accounts often vary in situations such as this when news is breaking. We’ll keep an eye out for changes in the story.
Our original post — Reports: Russia Issues Ultimatum, Warns Ukraine Of ‘Storm’:
Russia has reportedly given Ukraine an ultimatum — surrender Crimea by early Tuesday morning or face a full-on military assault across the strategically important peninsula.
The exact wording of the warning varies by news outlet, most likely because of differences in translations:
— “Russia Delivers ‘Assault Storm’ Deadline.” (Sky News)
— “Russia has issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces in the Crimea to clear out by 5 a.m. Tuesday or face a ‘military storm.’ ” (CNN)
Read the full story by Mark Memmott from NPR.
