again, robert serry, u.n. envoy to the ukraine, threatened, intimidated, possibly an attempted kidnapping. he is okay, as we are led to understand at this point and is not in the custody of anyone but those who are allies and friends. >>> russia's president threatening to seize the assets of american companies if america does what it says it might do. sanctions. we're talking about some of the world's biggest name brands like pepsi and exxon and gm, general motors. just ahead, we're going to talk about what this means to the world economy, and then right down to your bottom line, as well. credit christine row mondays is coming up next. up. testify up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. we're raising the bar on flying and tomorrow we will up it yet again. . >>> want to keep you updated on breaking

>> wolf, robert serry, u.n.oy for ukraine, appears to be a wanted or hounded man right now on the streets of crimea. he had recently arrived there following a logistical problem several days ago to get there. and he visited a naval base, according to senior u.n. officials, and then upon exiting that area, seemingly alone, with no security, armed men, 10 to 15 in number, some wearing military fatigues, surrounded him, and told him he had to leave the country, the area, immediately and go to the airport. he sat in his car, he refused to go to the airport. they blocked the car. he eventually exited, walked the streets, got to a coffee shop, called u.n. deputy secretary general jan eliasson and told him of the situation. he was described by eliasson as shaken up. there are media reports that he is blockaded and not able to leave. the u.n. has not given any information on the level of the threat. this may be the best place for him to simply hang out. there are reports that he was ending his mission. the u.n. will not

envoy robert serry. [ chants ] >> demonstrators who support the invasion came to support robert serry's detention and stop us filming. whether at the cafe or the airport, they cal all access. robert serry was driven against his will and walked to a flight. the same activist blocked the door and ran robert serry out of the country. they feel empowered by the arrival of 16,000 russian troops. they are expanding their presence but not answering questions. we asked half-a-dozen soldiers, me with my prooufr -- producer voldymyr, we asked the same question without answer. can you tell us where you're fro. they told us to move from the car. russian soldiers demanded ukrainian soldiers surrender weapons. they are not to shoot, so they block the front gate, anything they can to prevent a better armed force. they sent the russian troops packing. that night a pro-russian mob showed up outside their gates and demanded the russian soldiers be let in. russian forces with the support of pro-russian supporters are stepping up their aggression, he says. scared and under siege they hunkered down and sat

envoy robert serr serry is safe. the secretary of state john kerry's efforts to decalculate and get parties to talk in paris has failed. russia proposed its own sanctions against the west that would allow it to confiscate assets belonging to european and u.s. countries. nick schifrin is in sempl simferopol in ukraine. you were there when u.n. gloament robert diplomat robert serry. >> serry was not so much held up at gunpoint but threatened by armed men right as he walked out of ukrainian naval headquarters about three or four hours ago. that's when he politely declined their insistence that he leave crimea. he invited journalists to stay with him, almost guard him. he explained what he was going to do, he resisted leaving but we're not sure why he gave in but he said yes i will leave. big russian flags chanting putin, putin, russia russia clearly colluded and barricaded him inside. those activists created a corridor through which serry was forced, serr ser ry did not want to leave. they brought him to the airport and

robert serry found out today when he was detained by armed militia members. when you cross this sta city and different areas, the security is pro-russian citizens. they are dressed in civilian clothes. and they are absolutely telling the media where to go. they're protecting certain people. they're pushing certain people out. this is every single place. when western diplomats arrive they are returning the show. you ask police who are there at the airport and there at the cafe, what are you doing? they just walk away. they don't have any answers. they don't have the willingness to confront the pro-russian militias. >> nick, thank you. >>> also in crimea the ukrainian soldiers are forced to choose sides, their country or their heritage. >> the russians have full control here. ships of the black fleet sea block all traffic military and civilians, draining all life from this otherwise thriving port. this is an easy target for the russians, but if their intention is to take all ukrainian military installations in crimea, then their mission is not over yet. they ha

. >> robert serry's car was briefly surrounded by a group of 15 armed men described as pro-russian, after visiting a naval base. >> n.a.t.o. announced a review of its ties with russia and plans to expand cooperation with ukraine, which is not a member. >> we have suspended the planning for our first nato-russia joint mission, the maritime escort for a u.s. ship. which will neutralize serious chemical weapons. let me stress, this will not affect the destruction of chemical weapons, but russia will not be involved in the escort of the u.s. vessel. we have also decided that no staff level civilian or military meetings with russia will take place for now. we have put the entire range of n.a.t.o.-russian corporation under review. >> still ahead when we come back - ukraine's former prime minister tells al jazeera she fears war if crimea breaks away. more on that coming up. plus, we are at a german military facility to show how it will help to dispose of the syrian chemical weapons stockpile. that's all ahead. >> >> hello again. let's get you a reminder of the top stories. the european union is

envoy robert serry. demonstrators tried to stop us filming. whether at the cafe or airport they denied all access. the same activists blocked the door running serry out of the country. they feel empowered by the arrival of 16,000 troops. with my producer, we asked half a dozen soldiers and got the same silence. >> can i ask someone a question? he tells me to step away from the car and drive to this base. russian soldiers demanded ukrainians surrender their weapons. they are not to shoot so they block the front gates. anything they could. they successfully sent the russian troops packingment that night a pro-russian mob showed up outside the gates demanding the russian soldiers be let in. russian forcers, with the support of their radical pro-russian supporters are stepping up their aggression. scared and under siege, they hunkered down and sat in the dark, illuminated bay tv. they told us we couldn't film. so we tried to with an iphone. ukrainian soldiers allowed a dozen soldiers in the base. the soldiers told us it was time to go. that's when

special envoy robert serry took refuge in a cafe calling for help. nbc's partner itn jays mace was there. >> he and his female assistant were very frightened, asked us to stay and keep filming while they phoned frantically to new york and kiev, local officials trying to get rescued. >> reporter: last week, serry was blocked from getting to crimea in time to see the russian troops getting today, only hours after finally getting there, he was forced out, his mission not accomplished. >> my car was blocked, and i -- and somebody, who did not identify himself, was telling me that he had orders to bring me immediately to the airport. >> reporter: serry did get out safely, but the incident added more pressure on crisis meetings in paris. >> we saw what happened today with special envoy serry just how important it is to ensure the safety of those monitors. >> reporter: here in paris, secretary kerry is trying to rally the allies to be tougher against vladimir putin, but first they have to figure out what is putin up, just what is his end game. kerry tried t

robert serry was on his way back to the car here in the capital having visited naval headquarters and armed men blocked him and forced a change of driver in the car. he refused to get in and took refuge in a nearby cafe until he could have safe passage to the airport. but, scott, it is not clear who was behind the attempt to sabotage the mission. >> pelley: elizabeth palmer in crimea for us tonight, thank you, liz. in paris, secretary of state john kerry had talks on the ukraine crisis with his russian counterpart and margaret brennan is there. margaret. >> reporter: scott, secretary kerry had hoped to get the russian foreign minister to sit down with his ukrainian counterpart who is also here in paris. that didn't happen, but kerry did speak to lavrov himself. in their face-to-face meeting, secretary kerry told russian foreign minister sergey lavrov that there is a way out of the crisis. russia must return its troops to bases in crimea. allow international observers into the region. and recognize ukraine's upcoming elections to establish a new government. it was the first time the fo

envoy robert serry attacked by an armed mob as he attempted to visit crimea. russia, russia they chanted. serry was forced to take refuge in a cafe. as militia blockaded him inside. >> and when i left my car was blocked, and they -- and i -- and somebody who did not identify himself was telling me e that he had orders to bring me immediately to the airport. i refused. >> reporter: six days into the crisis, u.s. lawmakers are now asking why the administration didn't see russian military intervention coming. >> the fact is, mr. secretary, it was not predicted by our intelligence and that's already been well-known, which is another massive failure because of our misreading, total misreading of the intentions of vladimir putin. >> early last week, we were well aware of the threats. when i was in nato, again, there was a meeting specifically about the threat so this wasn't sudden or new. >> reporter: cnn has learned that the cia's assessment of the situation included a number of possible scenarios, including russia ordering troops off bases in crimea and into sover

envoy robert serry. [ chants ] >> demonstrators who support the invase came to support robert serry's detention, they tried to stop us filming. they stopped all aspect. he walked into the airport for a flight to istanbul. the same activist blocked the door and ran robert serry out of the country. they feel empowered by the arrival of 16,000 russian troops. they are expanding their preps, but not answering questions. >> excuse me. >> with the producer, we ask half-a-dozen soldiers and got the same silence. >> can i ask you a question. can i ask a question? can i ask where you are from. can you tell me where you are from? >> he tells me to step away from the car, and then they drove off, to head to this base. a local journalist filmed on her cell phone. the soldiers ordered ukrainians to surrender their weapons, they blocked the front gate. anything to deter a much larger russian force. they sent them packing. >> that night a pro-russian mob showed up outside the gate, demanding the russian soldiers be let in. >> russian forces, with the support of the nationalistic radical supporters a

special envoy robert serry was forced to abandon his mission there after his car was surrounded and he was threatened by a pro-russian crowd. new trouble cropped up elsewhere as well. pro-russian activists stormed and re-took a government building in the eastern city of donetsk, only hours after being ejected. there's been no talk of any american military action in ukraine, but defense secretary chuck hagel told a senate hearing that the pentagon is taking other steps. >> i earlier this week directed the d.o.d. to suspend all military to military engagements and exercises with russia. also this morning the dod is pursuing measures to support our allies, including stepping up joint training through our aviation detachment in poland. and augmenting our participation in n.a.t.o.'s air policing mission in the balkan peninsula. >> ifill: the head of n.a.t.o. said the alliance also decided to suspend most of its meetings with russian officials, and review all of its cooperation with moscow. on the economic front, prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk, in kiev, talked up prospects of immediate fin

enjoy robert serry was cornered by gunmen, forcing him to call for help. he tried and failed to enter crimea just last week. i want to bring if ron johnson, senator, good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> obviously you're a player in the hearing that start in the next hour on ukraine. what do you want to find out. >> i think this is a point in time where we want to speak with one voice. if the blame really lies with vladimir putin, and we need to come together and come up with a plan for sanctions that actually have some teeth in them. i think the talk has been good. i think listening to samantha powers, secretary kerry and this administration they're talking a good game, but now we have to act. vladimir putin must pay a price for this, so we can discourage him from further incushions that would be really troublesome. we really need to have politics at the water's edge and speaking one voice. and quite honestly the european union. >> a couple things i want to follow up. let's talk about that speaking with one voice. there have been critics in your party.

obviously we saw what happened to robert serry a little earlier this evening and it really caught everybody offguard. it demonstrates how volatile and dangerous the situation is. these thugs, if you like, are everywhere. they're dressed in black or in military fatigues. they're very suspicious of westerners. every time we interviewed somebody, they approached us and listened in to what we were saying, if it was anything against this new government that's taken over here in crimea, which is obviously very pro russian. then that was something that they would address. but these people are very visible. they're obviously in government buildings, they're at the airport as you're trying in. on top of these thugs, these local militias, you have russian troops, some 16,000 that have surrounded or occupied military bases here in crimea. erin, there are reports that perhaps more will be coming in, in the coming days. >> anna coren, thank you very much, reporting there live. it's that kind of reporting that makes a difference, because it's hard for anyone to know what's going on. the number of troops,

meanwhile, a united nations envoy to crimea, robert serry was threatened by unknown assailants, some with guns, though the u.n. said the envoy is okay and headed back to kiev. in washington, chuck hagel sharply defended the president's leadership. >> it's a time for all of us to stand with the ukrainian people in support of their territorial integrity and their sovereignty, and we're doing that. >> john mccain ripped hagel for presenting a new budget with defense cuts amid mounting national security challenges. >> i must say your timing is exquisite. >> now, beyond crimea, mccain mentioned stalled iranian negotiations, conflict in syria, and the chinese getting more aggressive in the south china sea just as china announces it's increasing its own military spending sharply. >> ed henry live on the north lawn, thank you. >>> yeah crane's new prime minister said crimea must remain part of his country. john kerry is trying to cajole the russians to play nice, but he appears to have little leverage. james rosen is traveling with secretary kerry in paris tonight. >> joined by aides inside

robert serry has agreed to give up his mission here in ukraine he's of cool is the u.n. special envoy to ukraine he's from the netherlands a father of three and he was taken against his will a short time ago by militia so after a great deal of hysteria the u.n. confirmed that the envoy was not kidnapped but he did come across a group of protestors and the envoy who was apparently escorted by police at the time decided to leave to avoid further tension the general picture that you get is that of the u.s. mainstream media jumping on anything very fighter on verify to present russia as an aggressor without much or any knowledge of what's happening on the ground and u.s. officials wealth they continue their self-righteous tirade while being gauging actual acts of aggression around the world with innocent people dying every day in drone strikes are from violence in countries that were destabilized by the u.s. in washington i'm going to check on our team. and with the world's top politicians busy pointing the finger at russia for alleged aggression the ghosts of ukraine's dark

reporter: jake, we don't know exactly what triggered this confrontation, but we understand that robert serrie's car was surrounded by at least 15 men, some of them armed. they told him he had to go straight to the airport. he refused. these local militia tried to get into his car. he managed to somehow get out. he fled into a coffee shop. he was there with an itv reporter james mates, who was tweeting what was going on. these men continued to surround the building. after some time he decided as to alleviate pressure to leave the situation, basically to quit his post as u.n. special envoy to ukraine and dee part the country. so he is en route to istanbul as we speak. he believes that this will help de-escalate the situation. jake, it just goes to show how tense the situation is and how unpredictable the situation is here in crimea. >>> ana coren, thank you so much. stay staf. >>> the house foreign affairs committee is holding a hearing tomorrow on ukraine and could vote after a resolution for sanctions against russia, although that resolution is more a symbolic gesture, nonbinding. the entire ho

special envoy robert serry yesterday and basically drove him out of the country or whether it's coming from the new crimeanen government which is very much pro russian. so obviously we know they don't like the west, they don't like the united states, they do not like europe. so obviously working for cnn which is an american news organization, when they hear that there is a great deal of hostility. so you're either getting the message out that's pro-russian or they don't want to hear it. >> in terms of what you've seen on the ground for the last 24 hours or so, to you what are the mainly developments? >> reporter: definitely the major news today is this referendum. we were outside parliament where they decided to go ahead with these votes on the 16th of march in ten days' time. they've brought it forward. and that will basically decide whether crimea stays with ukraine or breaks away and becomes part of the russian federation. and every single person that we spoke to today they were celebrating this news. they felt that finally people power had arrived to the crimea, that this was their

s special envoy to crimea robert serry, abandoned his mission after an encounter with pro-russia militiasontrol this morning. we're just learning that russian forces have scuttled an old warship in an inlet, trapping as many as seven ukrainian naval vessels vessels, while two other heavily armed ukrainian ships remain blocked from leaving port by russian vessels. then the breaking news now. in ten days the people of crimea will be asked to decide in a referendum whether they want to stay part of ukraine or join russia. they will vote on whether they can join russia. that is a very very big deal and i think a little bit unexpected. at this moment ukrainian riot police are in a tense standoff with pro-russian demonstrators in the southern ukraine port city of odessa a very historic city. our matthew chance is there. matthew, give us a sense of what you're seeing on the ground. >> reporter: hey, john. a lot of tension here in odessa. you can see i'm at the main government building in this city. it's the third biggest city in ukraine. and these hundreds of people that have gathered outside of

. >> reporter:this is a picture of senior u=n special envoy robert serry in a coffee shop in crimea's city. if he looks a little stressed, it's because of this. the british reporter who took these pictures tweeted about men in combat fatigues outside blocking the coffee shop door. >> pop envoy >> reporter:serry says he was forced to take refuge after a mob attacked his car. >>and somebody who did not identify himself was telling me he had orders to bring me immediately to the airport >> reporter:the envoy eventually agreed to leave crimea and left the coffee shop as the crowd shouted, "russia, russia." >> reporter:while pro=russia passions are running high in crimea, peace activists in moscow released a flock of doves. their protest against the confrontation with ukraine ended when police took them aeway. >> reporter:russia responded to western threats of economic sanctions with threats oflawmakers in moscow want to confiscate assets belonging to u.s. and european companies if the west tries to punish russia economically. >> reporter:tonight - we still don't know exactly what triggere

special envoy robert serry yesterday, literally drove him out of town, forced him to leave the countryht now here, wolf. at the capital of the region. >> what is their major criticism, these authorities who are basically forcing you indoors right now from your outdoor location and threatening to shut you down? what is their complaint? >> reporter: you know, wolf, it's funny, everywhere we've been here people will come up and ask us, where are you from? who do you work for? and when they find out that you are working for cnn, an american news network, they become extremely hostile. there's such anti-western sentiment here. there really is such hostility towards the west, towards europe. and when you're associated with the united states, as obviously our television network is, that is when the hostility begins. we believe that this is what has happened to the hotel's management, you know, we've been operating here now for over a week, happily, no problems whatsoever. obviously somebody is putting pressure on the manager of this hotel and basically threatening to shut us down and kick us

in a sinister incident last night, robert serry, a united nations envoy came to crimea on a fact-finding mission. as he prepared to leave, armed men confronted his team and serry had to take refuge in a cafe until he could get safe passage to the airport. the ukrainian sailors here said they did hear an explosion around midnight but they couldn't believe their eyes this morning when they woke up and saw that. it's going to be difficult and expensive for them now to reopen this shipping channel. for "cbs this morning," elizabeth palmer, crimea. >> elizabeth, thank you so much. >>> this morning, we have new details on the latest health care law delay we first reported yesterday. giving insurers a two-year extension for clauses that don't meet minimum standards. it means there won't be a repeat of last fall when millions of americans received cancellation notices from insurers. >>> the court-martial of a top military officer is now under way at% brag in north carolina. brigadier general jeffrey sinclair faces eight charges, including sexual assault. last night, his lawyer said he will plead

envoy robert serry forced to call for help from a cafe. >> please come as soon as possible now. >> reporter: kerry failed to enter crimea last week and was forced out wednesday, his mission still not accomplished. some in congress want to know why u.s. intelligence didn't pick up on russia's move sooner. >> it was not predicted by our intelligence and it's already been well known which is another massive failure because of our misreading, total misreading, of the intentions of vladimir putin. >> reporter: hillary clinton offered her own blunt assessment of putin on wednesday. >> i know we are dealing with a tough guy with a thin skin. >> reporter: while trying to clarify remarks she made tuesday comparing putin's move to hitler and the nazis before world war ii. >> the claims by president putin and other russians that they had to go into crimea and maybe further into eastern ukraine because they had to protect the russian minorities. and that is reminiscent of claims that were made back in the 1930s. >> and also today the pentagon is sending a warship to the region. this as the crimean parl