around ukraine and we see that there are demonstrations in crimea other of the demonstrations in sevastopol the red demonstrations all around the country and the temperature of political discussion between different political forces between different political parties is extremely high also on thinking about the security forces because they're very discredited in front of the people. they were also betrayed by the government will they in general be able to keep things in order in ukraine well what i saw i saw that again the policemen were not armed and i know that the army. is let's say taking the position that it's not involved in the conflict in the political conflict which to my mind is a wise position. and but when we talk about security in ukraine there is another angle on looking at ukrainian security not only from the point of security in the streets or physical security of the citizens but also there is an angle of nuclear security there are six nuclear power station operating in ukraine nowadays there are seventeen uclear reactors working in ukraine there are at least two or three

crowds rally in the ukrainian city of sevastopol in a show defiance against the self declared government in kiev and voiced support for a newly appointed pro russian mayor. the real path into the e.u. it's not going to be the german path it'll be the greek path worn out financial aid from brussels and the i.m.f. may prove a slippery slope for ukraine. the u.s. considers whether to leave three thousand troops in afghanistan beyond two thousand and fourteen as a bilateral security agreement with kabul hangs in the balance. and british muslims cry foul over their government's campaign against radicalism and say they're being turned into scapegoats. ten pm in moscow i met president good to have you with us our top story the political upheavals in ukraine's capital are sparking a backlash in the south and east of the country where many are making it clear they don't recognize the new self-proclaimed leadership the movement's gathering pace in crimea an autonomous region home to major industrial hubs and prime target spots it's also mainly populated by ethnic russians the largest rallies have

crowds rally in the ukrainian city of sevastopol and a show of defiance against the self declared government in kiev and to voice support for a newly appointed for a russian mayor. the real path into the e.u. it's not going to be the german path it'll be the greek path some analysts warn financial aid from brussels and the i.m.f. may prove a slippery slope for ukraine. presence of u.s. troops in afghanistan causing a rift in washington president obama says he may follow through with his zero option lawmakers continue to push to keep up to ten thousand soldiers there. british muslims cry foul over the government campaign against radicalism and say they're being singled out as scapegoats. midnight in moscow thanks for joining us here on r t a top story the political upheaval in ukraine's capital sparking a backlash in the southeast of the country where many are making it clear they don't recognize the new software clean leadership in kiev the movement's gathering pace in crimea an autonomous region home to major industrial hubs and some prime target spots also mainly populated by ethnic russia

what about what is happening inside sevastopol?mark, where are you and what are you sense something. >> reporter: nick, i'm speaking to you from overlooking the port here. the feeling is of real tension in this region. in the last couple of days we have had demonstrations from the different ethnic communities here. we have had the parliament building seized and the russian flag hoisted above it. and a team just moved to the port very close to where i'm speaking to you now. and there were reports of a russian ship blockading the port. she tells us actually there's just one single russian ship there. and a few locals watching. it is quite usual to see that. we have heard there that ukrainian interior minister has called this an occupation, invasion by russia. and of course the black sea fleet here. were moscow to be driving this and show of strength, it would be seen as extremely worrying of the ethnic ukrainians here and the muslim tatas who make up an ethnic minority here. they would fight any attempt of military intervention. >> m

the main airport, the civilian airport in the regional capital of sevastopol, appears to have been taken over by unidentified masked gunmen. they're in the control tower. they're roaming around the terminal. they're patrolling the outside. they're wearing uniforms without any insignia, and they refuse to talk to journalists on the ground there. so it's not immediately clear who they are, but, of course, the suspicion is they're a pro-russian military team. in conjunction with that there are other reports that russian military personnel have blocked an airport in a different city in crimea. that airport is near a large russian naval base. russia's black sea fleet is denying that its forces have been involved in seizing or blockading this military airport, but they did concede that they have stepped up measures with their anti-terror units to, quote, protect areas where parts of the fleet are located. ukraine's interior ministry is calling this an armed invasion and occupation, but so far to the best of our knowledge, there haven't been any incidents of violence, and in that large civilian

place now in the meantime in another city here in the crimea around sixty miles away in the city of sevastopol which is also ukraine second largest seaport pro russian protests have been taking place there as well for the past few days including today and put in front of the local administration building in the past few days the biggest protest gathered tens of thousands of people they've also elected a new mayor who is known for his pro russian views and has promised to protect the city i guess the national russians or the representatives of the right wing are currently coming to power in here would seem a small group of nationalist here as well. now you could see it i was moving quickly like i said both sides are now are watching was it was. quite a tense situation. yeah tottenham is a region home to major industrial hubs and tourist spots the majority of the population there considers russian their native language not ukrainian and the core of the resistance is an able hub naval hub city of sevastopol ukraine's second largest port and also home to the russian black sea fleet while in the ca

partners in the past it was indeed to join nato if russia was indeed to lose that naval base in sevastopol i think that's would sooner or later provoke a very strong reaction from russia and probably that's reaction would also be negative eat in i understand that having ukraine on to the west an umbrella is very valuable for many western countries it's a strategic gain but i wonder if it really worth spoiling completely spoiling relations with russia i don't think would spoil relations with russia chris washing needs to have a good businesslike relationship with the west including the united states but there's an important thing you that we need to point out you know when i was in ukraine the russian position was they had no objection if ukraine joined the e.u. they did have an objection of russia join nato so the russian position has changed in horn in the past year or so and that's unfortunate well ambassador harsh to have to say that no one as of yet has all for ukraine the e.u. membership and i don't think it's going to happen that's kristie i agree future but i think we have to leave

as well, we're also hearing that these forces are moving towards an area of the capital sevastopol. >> has there been any move by the ukrainian military? >> reporter: well, yeah, the government is basically calling this an invasion, annexation of the crimea peninsula. they have called for restraint from the russians. they are saying that the russians need to leave but they are also saying that the ukrainian military needs to show restraint. they are saying they don't want any more bloodshed and right behind me here in kiev, they are still mourning the people who died in those bloody protests just very recent, dozens of people died. they don't want to see any more bloodshed. they are trying to go to the security council which is convening. they are trying to go to the european union to make sure that the sovereignty of the ukraine is respected, jake. >> ian lee, thank you so much. stay safe. so what is putin's game plan here? joining me is jane harman, also a member of the defense policy board. and the state department foreign policy board. former congresswoman harmon, thank you for jo

these are believed to be russian tanks in ukraine, in sevastopol which is in crimea right now. take a look at these tanks. you see a picture like this and we keep wondering, what are the russians going to say? you've been hearing what their arguments might be. >> right. the interaction at the top levels of the relationship is not good. the russians have been quietly explaining in washington why they think they have the ability and the right to do this. >> what is their main argument? >> they are protecting their base. the black sea fleet are sitting in crimea. the situation is unstable and they feel they have the right to add troops to pro equity tect ts that are already there. they have a law that tells them they are allowed to protect their troops when they are in danger and they are going to do it. if that means protecting the protestings from coming on to the base, they are going to do that to. their argument is that they were invited. my information is that the kremlin and yanukovych are working together to come up with a case that they will present to the public in the co

demonstrations are officially fierce in the city of sevastopol. the city hosts a russian navy base. many people there are calling for independence and demanding to join russia. acting president oleksandr turchinov called an emergency meeting of security officials. he said the separatist movements are increasing and musting dealt with immediately. british foreign secretary william hague met with his u.s. counterpart john kerry in washington. he said the two nations strongly support ukraine's unity and territorial integrity. >>> u.s. government officials have ordered three venezuelan diplomats to leave the country. the move is in response to leaders in caracas expelling three americans last week. u.s. state department spokesperson jen psaki announced the decision. >> we have indicated and have indicated for months our openness to develop a more constructive relationship with venezuela, but, again, recent actions, including expelling three of our diplomats, continue to make that difficult. >> venezuelan president nicolas maduro removed the diplomats. he said they were supporting opposi

regular forces so they are at the local russian naval base that has been permanently stationed in sevastopol for decades. months of turmoil have pushed ukraine further toward a default both e.u. and the i.m.f. have so far to offer financial support there but that's likely to come with some painful conditions and here are some of the reforms the i.m.f. was demanding from the previous administration so first of pension reform the government had to increase the retirement age also a number of benefits and welfare payments should have been counseled including those for schoolchildren and the elderly electricity and gas prices needed to be pushed up both for businesses and the private sector with households facing up to a two fold increase state owned called mines coal mines located primarily in the east were said to be privatized and on top of that agricultural lands had to be put up for sale just political analyst william engdahl believes the west has been taking advantage of ukraine's french politics the conditions that the u.s. it wants to hold is simply a lean in planning one of the prime ec

not recognize the new pro western leadership the movement's gathering pace in the crimean city of sevastopol as r.t.c. corpus going off now reports for the past if you d.c. in the city. which is also the country's second largest seaport and home to russia's black sea fleet scores of people have been taken to the streets protesting everything that's been happening in fact they haven't recognized the new of shorty's and moreover they've taken down ukrainian flags from government buildings and put up russian once moscow has been saying that it will not intervene into the situation here and has been calling on. western partners to follow its examples now . has also voted for a new mayor who's gained his supporters by promising to protect the city from the ultra right to see what you are referring to the nationalists more of whom have been taking a new government post here in kiev so clearly the already existing gap between the east and the west is now growing. we do want to see it with our own eyes and we're actually planning to go to see us cope with it later on to report about the events there

country's main industrial areas and the south contains ukraine's ports in the second largest of those sevastopol ethnic russians make up more than seventy percent of the bible asian while the u.s. foreign policy chief catherine ashton is set to meet ukraine's new interim leadership following europe's pledge to provide the state with twenty billion euros once a new government is formed international monetary fund has also confirmed its commitment to support kiev's floundering economy the former soviet leader mikhail gorbachev things the west has crossed the line when it comes to stepping into ukraine's affairs. we just have you seen what's going on the it's not religious you need a bulldozer to push all the consultants from the u.s. and the e.u. and they should let the people decide for themselves issuing recommendations to nations is unacceptable you shouldn't send. both sides need to head to the negotiating table and talk one month or six months if needed a little come to an agreement eventually. christine stone a journalist and a writer on the former soviet union things compromise wasn't a pri

main industrial hubs now the south has all of ukraine's ports and in the second largest of those sevastopol is where ethnic russians make up over seventy percent of the population now russia's foreign ministry says western governments are acting out of geopolitical self interest political blogger william allison believes those supporting the interim government are benefits and from ukraine's turmoil the banks. germany and united states trying to get as much control as they can. as much of the country as the term at the moment they wish to. a certain degree of chaos which is why do turning a blind eye to what i can really describe as the nazis talk to them and i think that suits them because it's a question of divide and rule. meanwhile ukraine's finance minister is calling for a donor's conference with brussels washington and the international monetary fund it says it needs financial assistance for the next see years as well as urgent aid in the short term but the i.m.f. requiring painful economic reforms in return that help would likely come out of our high price as foreign affairs analyst

directly or forces serving at the local russian navy base that has been permanently stationed in sevastopol for decades nato and e.u. officials have regard let's send a warning signals to the russian government and he is off his lissa capital with more on their reaction coming from the west. well a unified message from nato defense ministers urging to keep most revolutionary ukraine in one piece a message from the alarm we did hear from. the nato secretary general for birch russia not to do anything that would quote escalate tension or create a misunderstanding he later told a meeting of the nato ukraine commission which is presently having a get together in brussels that the latest developments in the crimea were dangerous and irresponsible he did go on to also call on kiev authorities to leave the country forward in what he called an inclusive political process the new german defense minister also weighing in at her very first nato summit let's take a listen to what she had to say the situation in the ukraine particularly in crimea fills us with great concern it is of the utmost importanc

two columns involving a total of about 50 armored vehicles have been spotted outside the fort of sevastopol, the headquarters of russia's black sea fleet. so far, u.s. officials say it appears to be just an exercise. but a similar large-scale exercise preceded russia's 2008 intervention in the former soviet republic of georgia. this exercise could give the russian military a rolling start to push into ukraine with little or no warning. that is what has officials like defense secretarge concerned. >> we expect other nations to respect ukraine's sovereignty and avoid provocative actions. that's why i'm closely watching russia's military exercises along the ukrainian border. >> reporter: the u.s. is also trying to avoid provocative actions. today, the top american general in europe said the nato alliance is not making any plans to respond to a russian intervention in ukraine. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, david martin, thank you. tonight, extreme weather is impacting people in much of the nation. rain finally fell in drought-devastated california but a new storm threatens to trigger mupped s

industrial hubs now the south has all of ukraine supports and then the second largest city that sevastopol that's where ethnic russians make up over seventy percent of the population now the city has seen thousands of protesters against the upheaval condemning the violent actions of neon at sea radicals locals have refused to recognize the new parliament and have elected the russian citizen as their new mayor political blogger william allison believes western powers supporting the interim government are benefiting from the crane's turmoil. the banks. germany and the united states trying to get as much control. over as much of the country as the term at the moment they wish to cool a certain degree of chaos which is why they're turning a blind eye to what i can only describe as nazi star parties and i think that suits them because it's a question of divide and green. and we are closely following the situation in ukraine on air and online head to r.t. dot com where we have more in-depth analysis and minute by minute updates of what's happening in kiev and other regions. we're going on now as

populace considers russian their native language and the core of the resistance is the naval hub of sevastopol ukraine's second largest port and home to the russian black sea fleet while in the capital the interim leadership has announced a list of new cabinet members ministers to a crowd gathered on independence square that list has to be approved by the gathering and then by parliament for the government to be formed thursday the crowd has also been paying homage to those killed in the three months of rioting as been raging in the capital and as you can see on the right side of the screen there that red flag is a nationalist flag ultra nationalist symbols in view and several members of that party have aligned for top jobs with the new government or taze alexy or chef he has more on that. we lead ukraine's and europe's biggest battle in a vibrantly edited clip of the right sector movement of ukraine states its mission and well something that the revolution here ended with the ousting of president jiang the college its leader to meet the jarosz has a different view. this is just the beginning

crowds rally in the ukrainian city of sevastopol in a show of defiance against the self declared government in kiev and voiced support for a newly appointed pro russian mayor. the real path into the e.u. it's not going to be the german path it'll be the greek path analysts warn of financial aid from brussels and the i.m.f. may prove a slippery slope for ukraine. the u.s. considers whether to leave three thousand troops in afghanistan beyond two thousand and fourteen as a bilateral security agreement with kabul.

and regular forces serving of the local russian navy base that has been permanently stationed in sevastopol for decades nato and e.u. officials have regardless send warning signals to the russian government and to long the reaction coming from the west that's now cross live to the council of who is in the right now so lucy want to tell you hearing what are the latest statements or are you hearing from abroad. hi there well a unified message from nato defense minister and defense ministers urging to give post-revolutionary ukraine and one piece a message for of alarm we did hear from. the nato secretary general her urged russia not to do anything that would quote escalate tension or create a misunderstanding he later told a meeting of the nato ukraine commission which is presently having a get together in brussels that the latest developments in the crimea were dangerous and irresponsible he did go on to also call on kiev authorities to leave the country forward in what he called an inclusive political process the polish foreign minister also short of showed alarm over the developments in th

considers are russian their native language the core of the resistance and the naval hub of several sevastopol ukraine's second largest port which also houses russian and ukrainian naval fleets meanwhile in the capital the interim leadership is finalizing a list of new cabinet ministers it'll have to be approved in a couple of hours by the crowds on independence square and with right wing radicals at the forefront of the uprising there also lining up for some of the top jobs artie's alexei or chef he has more. we lead ukraine's and europe's biggest battle in a vibrantly edited clip of the right sector movement of ukraine states its mission and well something that the revolution here ended with the ousting of the president of the college its leader dimitri jarosz has a different view. disses just the beginning ukraine's resurrection europe's resurrection they started our my down. but does this resurrection require the storming of political party offices the torching of politician's houses and the manhunt for journalists. at the sea recently the offer of your award for the whereabouts of a russi

considers russian their native language the core of their resistance is the nabl naval hub city of sevastopol ukraine's second largest port which is also home to the russian black sea fleet while in the capital the interim leadership announced a list of new cabinet ministers to a crowd gathered on independence square the most has to be fully approved by the gathering and then by parliament for a government to be formed on thursday the crowd has also been paying homage to those killed in the three months of rioting that's been raging in the capital as you can see there are flags among them that flag on the right hand side of the screen there the red one that was an ultra nationalist flag members of that movement have been lining up for some of the top jobs artie's alexei or chosen to reports. are you. we lead ukraine and europe's biggest battle you know vibrantly edited clip of the right sector movement of ukraine states its mission and well something that the revolution here ended with the ousting of the president of the college its leader dmitri jarosz has a different view. to see what's in

crowds rally in the ukrainian city of sevastopol in a show of defiance against the self declared government in kiev and to voice support for a newly appointed pro russian mer. the real path into the e.u. it's not going to be the german pair. it will be the greek path. of this war in that financial aid from brussels any international monetary fund group a slippery slope for ukraine. the united states considers whether to leave three thousand troops in afghanistan beyond two thousand and fourteen as a bilateral security agreement with kabul hangs in the balance at. some british muslims crying foul over their government's campaign against radicalism say they're being turn.

place now in the meantime in another city here in the crimea around sixty miles away in the city of sevastopol which is also ukraine second or just seaport pro russian protests have been taking place there as well for the past few days including today and put in front of the local administration building in the past few days the biggest protest gathered tens of thousands of people they've also elected a new mayor who is known for his pro russian views and has promised to protect the city i guess the old nationalist russian support for the representatives of the right wing are currently coming to power in here would seem a small group of foreign nationals here as well. now you can see it actually was moving really quickly like i said both sides are now forcing was it was raining shots are right and russian somewhere else. what a tense situation. meanwhile in the capital the interim leadership is finalizing a list of new cabinet ministers and it will have to be approved in a few hours time by crowds in independence square and was right wing radicals at the forefront of uprising there are now lin

in the crimean city of sevastopol returning officers were given a rapture is welcomed by cheering crowds they've been sent as backup to help stem the violence in kiev and memorial services were held for those policemen who died in the arrest up to twenty officers are said to have been killed during the past week. oh for more on what's going on in ukraine i'm joined by legal expert alexander mercurial thank you very much for joining us here on our t.v. so should it come to it that the east of the country and the west of the country split separate what are the legal procedures for doing something like that on a country scale. well there are no legal procedures for doing it and that is one of the fundamental problems. if i can give an example which is a recent example from the russian history the well's actually legal procedure for seceding from the u.s.s.r. there is no legal procedure for seceding from the ukraine the ukraine is a unitary state constitutionally but i think it's absolutely clear now that the constitution of the ukraine is not is no longer functioning the way the authorities

they came in by airplane and they have the naval forces at sevastopol, essentially the same as u.s. marines providing the third leg. the question will be, of course, where does russia go from here? what do they do next? right now, it looks like they have established their base of operations for crimea. the u.s. i think a really important thing here is the u.s. assessment that russian military forces have landed uncontested is very key. this is not a conflict in this area of crimea with the russian-supported population. so where this all goes now remains to be seen. how quickly will opposition to the russian presence develop in crimea? how long will the russians stay? what will they do next? how and when or will they even leave. wolf? >> let's go to crimea. right now, diana is our reporter on the scene. so what's going on over there. are these russian troops being warmly welcomed by the russians speaking ukrainian in crimea or is there some sort of resistance? >> reporter: wolf, we have no confirmation that there are 2,000 troops that have arrived on crimean soil. in fact, it's being

crowds rally in the ukrainian city of sevastopol and a show of defiance against the self declared government in kiev and to voice support for a newly appointed for a russian mayor. the real path into the e.u. it's not going to be the german path it'll be the greek path some analysts warn financial aid from brussels and the i.m.f. may prove a slippery slope for ukraine. presence of u.s. troops in afghanistan causing a rift in washington while president obama says he may follow through with his zero option lawmakers continue to push to keep up to ten thousand soldiers there. british muslims cry foul over the government campaign against radicalism and say they're being singled out as scapegoats.

the black sea fleet has down in sevastopol. they have not taken part in any of the armed groups in which they have been. on the one hand it said they will respect the territory of ukraine and want it to stay and single country and wants to help it. on the other hand it is worried, especially those in the crimea. and some suggesting if crowds on the streets of kiev have the right to topple a government, why shouldn't they in crimea have the right to change. it suggests the sympathyists are more and more on the side of those not supporting the kiev government. so the situation is a little unclear. the indications are maybe the russian government having sat on the fence for a few days are beginning to decide it is not going to support kiev. >> that almost preempts my next question. we have kiev saying, right, please extradite mr. yanukovych. >> well, he's been given sanctuary here in russia. he has been allowed to hold a press conference. he had his statement read out on all news outlets yesterday claiming he is still the presiden

also, there are the rights to deploy anything they want down into the enormous naval pass in sevastopol developments down in crimea and more widely from russia being seen there? >> it seems the atmosphere here in the ukrainian parliament is quite nervous now. people are waiting for news. for several months, the president of russia was showing it is not in the political crisis in ukraine. at the same time russian state media were depicting the situation as almost a military turndown in ukraine. it seems there are concerns that russia was preparing soil to step in to move. >> ukraine is a massive country of 46 million people of enormous space. even if they have mobilized 150,000 troops for a drill and exercise. what about this particular problem which they have inside the navy base there do have a legitimate right to be there. >> they do have a legitimate right to be here. moreover, they have a legitimate right to move around crimea. let me pointed your attention to the fact that the troops, which are stationed there and troops which are stationed close to that side from the russian borde

the peninsula, near -- not far from the navy base the russians have on the crimean peninsula near sevastopolofficial wes have spoken to there's some maritime activity, there's activity into and out of the crimean peninsula and the navy base the russians have occupied for some time. we do -- the pentagon officially is not commenting on this activity. they are, as we said earlier today, watching very carefully at the developments. you heard secretary of state john kerry issue a very strong statement today saying it would be a grave mistake if russia were to send in troops, but things are moving quickly and all eyes are on what appears to be some military movements on the ground in the crimean peninsula in that part of the ukraine. >> thank you very much. we're minutes away from hearing what the president wants to do about this, if anything. >> i'm not sure we'll hear what the president wants to too about this but we well hear him advise the russians to be very careful. press secretary jay carney was asked earlier today about reports of russian intervention but this came to a head after ukraine

. >> reporter: the city of sevastopol is in ukraine but as its now daily demonstrations show, the flag its people show allegiance to is the russian one. it's here the fugitive former president yanukovych is now believed to have sought sanctuary at a russian naval base. if true, russia's president putin is unlikely ever to hand him over. still, celebrating the end of his sochi olympic party, his prime minister today made russia's anger at what's happened abundantly clear. "some of our western partners," he said, "think there's a legitimate government there. it's strange to call a government legitimate when it's the result of an armed uprising." the closest the ukrainians may now get to yanukovych is the treasure trove of documents he left behind. many dumped in a river now being meticulously dried and sorted. damning evidence for a trial that will probably never happen. >> we have part of the financial documents revealing the whole system of the money laundering that was established here to supply yanukovych's regime with the money and to provide the money for construction of these whol

and a russian naval vessel took position at the entrance to a harbor that leads to sevastopol and the russian black sea fleet >> reporter: in washington, secretary of state kerry spoke with russian foreign minister sergei lavrov by phone. kerry said lavrov assured him that moscow has no designs on ukraine. >> i made it clear that intervention would, in our judgement, be a very grave mistake. i nevertheless, made it clear that that could be misinterpreted at this moment and that there are enough tensions that it is important for everybody to be extremely careful not to inflame the situation and not to send the wrong messages. he reaffirmed to me that president putin is committed and that as a matter of policy, they do not intend to violate the sovereignty of ukrainement. >> and this afternoon the united nations security council met to discuss ukraine. >> meanwhile the deposed president of ukraine viktor yanukovych renewed his claim on that post today in his first public appearance since he fled kiev last friday. he called the pending may 25 elections illegitimate, and the interim ukrai