. >> nick spicer joins us from crimea's cap tam, simferepol. tense are things on the border post where ukrainian staff are tasked with stopping russian prove okay tours. >> there has been tension for weeks. as things are seen from kiev, moscow is sending in professional political agitators to create an impression in the media that the rites of russian speakers in the east and south-east are not being respected. the idea is that moscow is sending in people that will create violent incidents or swirl demonstrations, to give the impression that kiev is not doing all it should to respect the rights of russian speakers in ukraine. kiev denies this, and says it's all a matter for moscow to manipulate world public opinion, and the rights of speakers are being respected. >> what are the monitors tasked with doing there. will they be playing a role in clarifying the situation at all? >> i think it's a welcomed development, certainly in the eyes of the united nations and in kiev. observers were prevented from coming in, except those chosen by moscow and

nick spicer has more. >> reporter: i'm standing outside. there are self-defense unit forces. many are crouched down because of a gunshot. we're not sure if it came from inside the base or outside. it appears to be an effort to take over the part of this air base which has been held on to by ukrainian forces. russians have been in control of the air space, but they're trying to move the ukrainian out of the part they're holding on it. >> let's go to phil ittner live from kiev, ukraine. you've been following this story from the very beginning. how does this play out in the big picture. >> reporter: this incident we're seeing play out is exactly the incident that the international community and the authorities here in kiev are gravely disturbed and are concerned about, and it is disturbing. the authorities here in kiev let's start with them. we have spoken to the defense ministry. they say that their forces, while they do have the order to return fire they feel that their lives are at risk, and their forces are showing extreme restraint in the face of what they call here in kiev

. >> let's go to your correspondent nick spicer who joins us live from simferepol. how tense is the situation on the border, on the urban ukraine border. are they trying to stop kiev from allowing prove okay tours into ukraine. >> the government in kiev is convinced moscow is sending in professional political agitators, russian speakers like where they are being sent to, like donetsk, who will set off violent incidents or organised demonstrations that wouldn't happen otherwise. that's the perspective in kiev. moscow has a different version of events, suggesting that what has been happening has been happening spontaneously. there's within demonstrations and take obviouses of d administrative buildings in the past weeks by those that have run up the flag to show allegiance towards moscow. what is happening on the border is an attempt to stop that. kiev sees people coming in as professional prove okay tours. >> large group of international monitors are set to be deployed to ukraine. what are they tasked with doing. will they be allowed where you are, into crimea? >> th

the future but they appear happy with promises that moscow is making. >> reporter: and that is nick spicerng and coming up, on al jazeera america, meeting in singapore and there to discuss how the internet will work in the years to come. ♪ welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm del walters, here are your headlines at this hour, following breaking news, about an hour ago malaysia prime minister talked about the flight that crashed in the indian ocean and satellite data suggesting the plane went down in that area. president obama is meeting with other world leaders today in the netherlands and there to discuss nuclear security but the crisis in ukraine tomorrowing the minds and the interim government saying it will withdraw troops from crimea, russian lawmakers say the military presence threatens the lives of the military and they look for life in the quick-sand like mud from the landslide saturday in washington state and 8 are dead and 18 missing in the rural committee of ozzo, 50 miles north of seattle. and we have to talk about another big storm here that will impact the east coast and i

minorities are progressively being edged out nick spicer reports from the crimean capitol. >> reporter: only a handful of the traditional silver smiths remain. forging the filigreed finery for weddings, gifts between bride and group. he was part of the deportation to uzbekistan that killed half of the tatars, and he returned to his homeland in a newly independent ukraine. now it's back to the old masters in moscow, he feels. >> the referendum was illegitimate. that's not just my opinion. the whole world knows it, but what can we do? we didn't go and vote. we never intended to. 95% of crimean tatars boycotted it. we didn't want it to happen, so what could we do? >> reporter: what they might do is call for a referendum of their own for joining ukraine or outright independence. a risky move in a land where russia shows it's ready to use it's military to get what it wants. >> reporter: sadvladimir putin d the rights of the tatar would be respected, but this sign that was in the tatar language was now removed replaced with a russian one. >>> the tatar tv is still on air but it's owner is ac

nick spicer is in sevastopol joining us live. what's happening to all these ukrainian forces forced off their own bases, up to 189 of them now? >> reporter: they're faced with a difficult choice. the russians are telling them they can either join the russian army or leave the country. it's difficult. some of them are deciding to join the russian army. they have strong feelings about their russian heritage, their russian speakers. russia has a long history in this country, in this part of the world before annexing the crimean peninsula. however, others are thinking they should go to ukraine, and that is what duty instructs them to do. we met up with one officer whose mind was never in doubt. this major spoke with al jazeera before russians took over his base. the soldiers were still holding out. leave ukrainian army and become a russian citizen and get a job with better pay in the russian armed forces. he has never lived in mainland ukraine. his parents and family live here in nearby sevastopol. he has relatives buried here, but t

nick spicer has more from crimea now. >> the major spoke with al jazeera before russians took over thease. the soldiers were still holding out. he read us the russian offer. leave the ukrainian army, become a russian citizen and get a job with better pay in the russian armed forces. he has never lived in mainland ukraine, and his parpts and family live here in near by sevastopol. he has rel tifs buried here, but there's something stronger than that. >> translator: as for me, you i will definitely leave and go to mainland ukraine. despite all the endless offers, i won't accept russian citizenship and pledge aledge yens to russia. you can only give one oat in a life. if you betray it, you're not worthy of respect. >> the ukrainian defense ministry says they're heroes that served a nation well and promises them financial support and housing. many soldiers leaving to the mainland say the government should have given them clearer orders in good time. torn between his officers dignity and disappointment, he's going to puck up more than his uniform, a whole life, memories and joys and sfoimen

let's bring in nick spicer who is in crimea's capital. ll us more about the additional costs, additional sanctions that owe about him aways referring to, what exactly are they? >> reporter: the americans and europeans have talked about three levels of sanctions, targeting individuals, targeting sectors of the economy and then almost the nuclear option if you will and it's really in the american hands. and that is targeting the banking system. if you can imagine the kind of sanctions striking iran for decades now, freezing the russian banking system. what is being talked about now is targeting specific sectors of the economy, oil and gas, heavy metal extraction industries and so on. should russia go any further. now what that means is an incursion in to southeastern ukraine and eastern ukraine, which is what the nato commander has expressed fears about and with the americans and europeans are concerned might happen next given what has happened here in crimea. >> and, nick, what more do we know on the resignation over in kiev of the acting d

nick spicer reports from belbek airbase. >> using armoured vehicles and stun grenades russian troops forced their way on to the belbek airbase. gun fire could be heard. it followed a refusal by ukrainian troops to surrender. one ukrainian was injured. the commander was taken away for questioning. it was one of the last military facilities in crimea largely under ukrainian army. the russian army had been in control of the belbek airstrip base, and now are in control of the base, sapping the morale of ukrainian soldiers facing a choice - join the russian army or move to ukraine. >> russian soldiers made sure the live feed of their actions was no longer visible - pulling the camera down. it's part of russia's aggressive absorption of military components. a russian flag was raised over a ukrainian submarine. >> the international community condemned the take over of crimea and responded by rolling out sanctions against russia and some of its wealthy citizens. european security monitors are expected to arrive in ukraine over the weekend. the question is will they be allowed into crimea. >>

nick spicer reporting from simferopol. >> with breathtaking speed, they are ruling, russian style 2. people are registering here to get russian passports. the happiness and high expectations are hard to miss. but the issues persist. >> they say the price will double. i don't know what we pensioners will do if prices go up. it will all work out. >> reporter: the kremlin is sending in top ministers from all agencies. in highly symbolic moves, clocks will advance by two hours to moscow time. this couple have just found out they are going to be parents. the birth of another crimean is the source of another joy. the ukrainian baby bonus will disappear, the mother set of saf course the russian government will pay. the father has no doubt everything will be fine. a big change will be the shift to the russian currency, the ruble. the ukrainian why currency still in force. possible source of discord in the future but for now the russian speakers in crimea seem happy for the promises that russia is making. >> that's 96 spicer reporting from simferopol. coming up, 25 years ago, emple n valdez.

nick spicer is standing by. reports of an arrest for the killing of a ukrainian officer yesterday. what more can you tell us about that? >> well, there are lots of reports. there are a lot of rumours that has not been confirmed locally. there are stories coming out of kiev saying it has taken place. the tension is moving from the military sphere to the religious sphere. there are two churches here, aligned with the orthodox religion in ukraine and crimea. one of them obeys the moscow patriar patriarch. there was a schism in the church in 1992. the priests who follow moscow said they would like to take over the churches run by the patriarch in kiev. those following the moscow patriarch accompanied by crimean self-defence forces showed up at the local kiev-directed church and said, "we want to see your land registry and the documents that prove you own the church, because once we take over the base, this will be ours." >> how are people there reacting to this? >> well, with some ser enty. there's a sign in prove the parliament. it accused to say this is the crimean autonomous republi

nick spicer reports from crimea. >> the outside money is critical to keep the government afloat and comes in a greater quantity that would have been thinkable before russia, as countries rush to keep ukraine from failing. the money comes with conditions. >> translation: the ukrainian government will not allow bankruptcy of the country. that's why we came with unpopular and difficult reforms, that should have been conducted 20 years ago, and we are offering the package to the parliament of ukraine. >> angry at the corruption in the politics, demonstrators called for civilian oversight at the international aid. >> they are offering us a false dawn. this is a loan. it needs to be paid back. if the money is stolen, and taxpayers need to repay the loan, that would be unfair. >> the i.m.f. offer comes as a divisive figure. yulia tymoschenko freed from gaol has thrown her hat in the ring. walking on crutches because of back problems not properly treated in prison. rumoured to be a billionaire. the former prime minister sought to expel fears that she'd mark the return to politics. >> none of the

nick spicer reports. >> a new economic future is unfolding in crimea. one under russia, a richer country with ukraine, but blighted by corruption. the new leaders annexed from ukraine promised better. >> we expect economic boom and growth. crimea was a region where the rate of development and per cap ita income were below average under-ukraine. the population is poor and infrastructure underdeveloped. we hope all of this will change. >> the main sectors of the crimean economy are agriculture and tourism. in the past the majority came to the ukrainian mainland, it's far from certain they'll be willing or able to come back. moscow is planning to spend a billion a year to help the economy, and private investors may spend $4 billion annually. this business leader says local entrepreneurs hope there'll be new opportunities in the russian market, but wary. >> translation: we heard the promises, but know how the soviet money does not trickle down to the ordinary people. >> however much money is spent, moscow wants to show crimeans and the world that the annexa

nick spicer has this report from belbek airbase. >> using armored vehicles and stun grenades russian troops forced their way into the russian airbase. gun fire could be heard. it followed the refusal by troops to surrender to an ultimatum issued by russians. one was injured and the commander taken away for questioning. it was a large facility under ukrainian authority. >> the army had been in control of the airstrip at the because for two weeks. they are in control of the base, something pound bound to affect the soldiers. >> this scene was captured live by a cctv camera. the russian soldiers pulled the camera down. >> it's part of the aggressive absorption of military facilities in crimea. earlier on saturday the russian flag was raised over a ukrainian assault occasioning actual bodily harm -- ukrainian submarine. european security monitors are expected to arrive in ukraine over the weekend. the question is whether they be allowed in to crimea. >> paul brennan is in kiev. what will happen to the military hardware, some of which the russians have seized. >> well, at the moment the r

nick spicer brings us their story. >> reporter: this major spoke with al jazeera before russians took over his base. the soldiers were still holding out. he read us the russian offer. leave the ukrainian army, become a russian citizen and get a job with better pay in the russian armed forces. he has never lived in mainland ukraine. his parents and family live here in nearby sevastopol. he has relatives buried here, but there's something stronger than that. >> translator: as for me, i will definitely leave and go to mainland ukraine, but despite all the endless offers, i will not accept russian citizenship or pledge allegiance to russia. an officer can give one oath in a lifetime. if he betrays it, he's not worthy of respect. >> reporter: the ukrainian defense ministry says the soldiers leaving are heroes, not deserters. patriots who served a nation well. he's promising them financial support and housing, but many of the soldiers leaving to the mainland say the government should have given them clearer orders in good time. torn between his officer's dignity and his disappointment, he i

nick spicer has the story. >> bringing home the ukrainian soldiers off the peninsula of crimea. it is estimated about 25,000 people may need to be moved. that is to say the soldiers and their families. they need to be housed and they need to be continue to be compensated. however, a lot of the soldiers have been accepting the russian offer to join the russian army and get better pay. some may be staying here but a difficult decision for all of the soldiers. some of the commanders are still not being heard from. they're being detained by the russians. there are questions of protocol should they be able to leave with their side arms in a dignified manner or should they seem to be defeated without their side arms. big decisions by ukrainian soldiers. decisions in kiev, bring the troops home, not all of them will be going to the mainland. the aring logistics, the hardwae still belong to the ukrainian people. >> the far right national front makes gains in france, prompting tactical moves by the somebodyists. socialists. >>> 32 people were injured when a train derailed at one of ameri

. >> our 96 spicer has been following the -- our nick spicer has been following the case for us. >> uli, five times more than the prosecutor was charging him with. he asked for leniency. he portrayed the bank account as a kind of gambling account if you will saying he engaged in more than 50,000 trades on the stork market including in high risk instruments such as derivatives and he asked for leniency, from the judge who has been nicknamed judge merciless by the press. he offered his resignation when the scandal broke. it was turned down. he remains president. sponsors are sticking with the football club, companies such as the auto maker audi. however, the talk show participants known for his folksy style and conservative opinions has lost some support. chancellor angela merkel was once a supporter, she has distanced herself from him. verdict on thursday, he could face up to ten years in jail. >>> former president nicolas sarkozy, recordings between his singer songwriter carla bruni in which she teases him for being a kept man. the website has since taken them down. >> translator: the b

from there nick spicer reports. >> reporter: using armor vehicles and stun grenades troops force their way into be belbek air base. gunfire could be heard. it followed the refusal of troops to surrender to leave the base. one ukrainian has been injured, and the commander of the base was taken away for questioning. it was one of the last facilities still largely under crimeaen authority. >> reporter: they have been in control of the air strip for two weeks now, a move of the russian army. the russian soldiers made sure the live feed of their actions was no longer visible. they pulled the camera down. it's all part of russia's aggressive absorption that has happened in two weeks. earlier on saturday the russian flag was raised over ukraine submarine. the international community has widely condemned the take over of crimea and has rolled out sanctions against russia and some of its wealthiest citizens. monitors are expected to arrive in ukraine over the weekend. the question is will they be allowed in crimea. >> let's go live now to paul brennan in kiev. an emphatic move to add depth to t

nick spicer, al jazeera, sevatope rol. >> bodies were hid no one mass graves by serbians following akilling spree in 1998 and 1999. many of the 46 people reburied were from one family described as one of the worst atrocities during kosovo's war that left around 10,000 people dead. >>> the vatican says it has accepted the resignation of a german bishop who spend $43 million church money on his own resident. bishop franz-peter tebartz-va elst's extravagant spending earned him the nickname bishop of bling. >> reporter: he may have had his supporters in rome, but it's difficult to see bishop franz-peter tebartz-va elst surviving this scandal. his home was a money pit too conspicuous to ignore. >> it's important that the diocese of limburg will move on to a common future. we'll need reconciliation, new trust and the power of prayer, through that hopefully healing and a new beginning will be possible. >> reporter: the bill was actually for ten projects and protecting historical buildings that pushed the costs up. the german media reported such investments as a $20,000 batht bathtub, such p

and now let's talk to nick spicer and live for us and tell us the latest on the military situation withts or otherwise. >> it appears to really be the end game here as far as the military conflict go with ukrainian defense ministry at least issuing orders for the redeployment of soldiers to mainland ukraine and commanders i have spoken to the past days have said part of the problem they have been facing is the orders simply have not been clear enough. quite apart from civilians entering bases first in many instances, preventing them from firing at the russian soldiers who were behind them. they now face, these ukrainian soldiers a difficult choice of signing up to the russian army and going back to the ukraine mainland, very difficult decision for many of them who have families here and their whole family histories here. however, the russians are moving quickly forward on to streamlining the local administration along russian lines. and the russian speakers who voted to join russia have very high expectations. ♪ they are rocking in russian in sevastopol and nothing new in the russian-sp

. >> turning now to nick spicer in simferepol, and crimea. nick, russia's operation to seize the belbek airbase is larger and more violent than take overs of other base, what is happening now. are more ukrainian troops abandoning the post in crimea. >> the latest we hear is that the russian navy and army are taking over the few remaining navy ships in the hands of the ukrainians. what happened at belbek yesterday was one of the biggest and one of the last, because there are few remaining bases. raids to take place. we were there. and as phil said, it started with gunfire. proceeded by the armored personnel carriers. russian cossacks, the journalists, memory cards from the video cameras. there's an impression that the russians don't want what they are doing to be seen which the wider world. as regards the fate of the soldiers, they are being told they can join the russian army, or move back to ukraine. some are accepting the offer. many people here, a large majority, it's safe to say, have strong feelings of attachment. it has major historical

nick spicer has more. >> the two front runners in the opinion polls have joined forces. former heavyweight boxer vitaly klitschko forfeited the match to his political partner, por -- petro porashenko, a respected figure. it takes place in a climate of destrust where many are convinced that kiev politicians are stoojs of the west, if not factionists. >> people in the east and south may be fearful of the election because of interventions by moscow, what message do you address to them. >> if you read our program, there's a special message for the eastern south ukraine. first message is a security, second message is the real defending of their rights, including language, religious, minority and everything. >> the deal prevented a subdivision, among politicians with closer ties and who were furious. there would be another candidate. >> yulia tymoschenko was nominated of the presidential candidate of her party on saturday and is promising a cleaner form of politics, and to stand up to russia. >> translation: if the people trust me with the presidency, i will never let an aggre