for me, simferepol will stay simferepol. >> translation: they will lets play in the russian or ukrainian leave. sevastopol is in the same situation. where we go, they will do. >> these three guys say their future is with the simferepol football team. >> and just a reminder that you can keep up to date with all the news on the website - aljazeera.com. should i be worried? >> reporter: and i asked whose first tweet was this? please pray for me. i'll answer the question a little bit later. this is ali velshi, this is "real money." >> this is real money. you are the most important part of the show. join our live conversation at twitter,

thousands celebrated in simferepol. ukraine has been moving closer to the west.many's foreign minister is due to visit. on friday european leaders signed a deal with the government. >> for every action there's a rehabilitation. every move made by ukraine and its we were partners is matched in retaliation by moscow. >> in brussels, european union leaders met for a second day to speed up and entrench ukraine's move. all this should end the rampant corruption plaguing ukraine for years, and putting the country on a closer political footing with the european union. >> this is the historic day for my country, and we believe it's an historic day for europe. we want to be a part of the european family. >> it recognises the aspirations of the people of ukraine to live in a country governed by values, democracy and the rule of law. >> of course, the russian president is impervious to all of that. his country's annexation of crimea has been achieved. the upper house of the russian parliament ratified it, so in moscow it is. as you expect, the vote as unanimous. >> translat

. >> mferepol -- simferepol. what signs, if any, are there this morning of movement? >> lots of reports coming in. some diff to verify. a fluid situation. what we understood is at least two military facilities have been surrounded by what are believed to be russian personnel, who have disarmed ukrainian personnel inside, relieved them of their weapons and ammunition and requested they submit to the crimean authorities, the recent government that has been elect here is not recognised by the pours that be now in kiev. those reports we've been getting in of more military tanks or military vehicles on the roads around the crimea between here in simferepol, and the postal court of sevastapol. other reports of other facilities potentially surrounded by russian personnel or pro-russian civilian groups. difficult to verify. at this stage, what is going on, it appears that the ukrainian military personnel in crimea are finding themselves surrounded. >> thank you from simferepol. now to tim friend in cove. the ukrainian ambassador to the united nations told us that russia and u

. >> nick schifrin has reaction from the crimean capital, simferepol. >> russian troops invaded crimea, taking control of the peninsula, and the fear here is that the first shot may not be the last. >> outside ukrainian base 2174, are possibly dangerous turning point. for the first time since russian troops invaded they opened fire and killed a ukrainian soldier. when we arrived the police took their position, right behind these guys. >> the base is now run by pro-russian militias. >> as journalists tried to film the journalists are trying to make sure we didn't. first, by grab k the camera, and then by kicking a member of the team. >> throughout the time here, they didn't want to show what happened inside. the ukrainian military says occupying snipers killed a soldier. a militia member also died. >> this is the ukrainian military base behind me, the white building, and behind it the tall building where what appeared to be russians snipers, enjoying the high ground over the ukrainian military base. over here, the second unfinished apartment building. we saw more evidence of russian tro

in downtown simferepol, pizzeria on kirova claims it was the first pizza place in the soviet union. when russian president vladimir putin said crimea needed to be under russian sovereignty, even the youngest cheered. when vladimir putin officially welcomed crimea into russia, and when putin finished... ..for this crowd today was their july 4th. they sung the russian national anthem. [ ♪ music ] >> which owners roman and nataliya pledged allegiance to always. >> translation: we consider this independence day. we were waiting for it for so long. this is the most important day of our lives. they worked here for 12 years. "we were not protected in the ukraine", she says, "russia is our home." >> outside parliament they changed the name to calm themselves the independent republic of crimea. at a government building ukrainian colours have been pointed over and the russian tri colours. inside base 2174, the russian flag is flying. if today is independence day, it will only be complete when every base is overrun and controlled by russia. russia and ukrainian troops have a truce until friday

nick schifrin is in the crimean capital of simferepol. he joins us with more.hat is the mood like as we counselled down to the referendum? >> it is t-minus 6 hours before, as you said, crimeans decide their future. this is the influence, a campaign poster suggesting russian life is better than crimean life. all across the peninsula, that is what is happening. the pressure is coming from the russians, the momentum is with the russians. the vote, many believe, is all but decided. >> when crimea votes, it will use ballots delivered in a van with russian flags, to a building whose ukranian identity was painted over. when crimea votes, it will be surrounded be protesters voting for russia. the local prime minister openly bleeds russian blue, white and red trnchts people are so inspired. they are returning to the mother land. they are returning to their true home. this man has been running election and shows me the tools in a legitimate elections toolbox. trnchts the voting booths with curtains. >> the locked ballot box, and the safe holding the ballots sealed until

passengers arriving at simferepol are welcomed by the self-defence unit. anyone suspected of not being a resident of crimea gets checked and searched. >> the international airport is open for business. if you want to come or leave crimea, there's one route available at the moment. >> for the second day straight all other flights were cancelled. the ukrainian national carrier announced all flights to and from crimea would not operate until after the referendum. no reasons were given, but it could be because hereto the ukrainians lost control. even though crimean officials say they are in charge. >> i think the presumption that crimea has been taken over by russia is wrong. it is under control of the self-defence forces. we are worried the situation here is becoming tense. we can figure out our needs and security. >> it's a point of view found by many. i'm grateful for the guys who are standing here to protect us. otherwise i don't know what would have happened. we are going to express our opinion on the referendum, and no one can stop us. the situation is t

. >> international observers will visit ukraine. 17 monitors were invited to simferepol and pro-russianple in the region. the vote has been described as unconstitutional by the u.n. secretary of state john kerry and sergei lavrov, failed to make a break of it. john kerry said: sergei lavrov says: >> the focus shifts to the u.n., where the security council is expected to vote on saturday. if the result confirms russia's take obvious, crimea can expect to switch currency to the ruble. as jacky rowland reports to simferepol, there's uncertainty about the ownership of state assets. >> the timing could hardly be better. the pro-russian authorities bring gas to the neighbourhood days before a referendum on crimea's future. and are nationalizing the crimean branch of the ukrainian oil company. >> translation: this company will be under the control. crimean authorities, the people that run it will come from crimea, not ukraine or russia. all the income will go into the crimean budget. >> the question of money is on people's minds as they make what might be the last trip to the market as citizen

these are the live pictures coming in from a polling station in the capital simferepol. voters have two option, both of which propose a change of how the region is governed. it has a chance of answering yes or no. are you in favour of reunification of crimea and russia as part of the russian federation or are you in favour of supports crimea independent of ukraine. >> jacky rowland is in simferepol. how is the voting turn out turning out. is everything going smooth? >> well, the polling station where we are has to say there's a lot of enthusiasm of the the polls are open until eight in the morning. there was a queue of about 20 people outside. that was an hour ago. as you can see behind me, trade is brisk, lots of people coming here, mostly they are older people. older people queueing up and remembering the certainties of the soviet union, who remember when they could be sure of aon, an apartment, a pension. i think when we look at the fact that there's a lot of support in this area, and across crimea as a whole for the idea of joining up with russia, a lot is fuelled by

. -- outside of simferepol. thank y thank you for being was. >> the united nations held an emergency security council meeting. james bays was there. how concerned are you? >> deeply, we need deescalation. >> ambassadors arriving for the second meeting in 24 hours. >> is your country invading camia. the russian ambassador not answering my question, but aware he'll face criticism from other members, particularly we were nations. >> cameras were allowed to film the meeting despite russian opposition ukraine's ambassador appealed to the international community. >> we call upon the security council to do everything possible now. there is still a chance. >> early this morning the russian duma acted to authorise the use of military force in ukraine. it is dangerous and destabilising. we are disturbed by reports of russian military intervention into crimea. this is without legal basis, indeed it violates russia's commit the to protect the sovereignty. territorial integrity. >> russia's ambassador presented a different v

nick schifrin is in simferepol with more on the historic referendum. >> it is pouring around me, and that is the only thing that could get all of these celebrators off the streets tonight. if you talk to international and domestic monitors, they list a long list of irregularities. they say the voter poll was not accurate, the population was intimidated by pro-russian troops and militia that were armed on the streets, and the ballot was down to two questions - join russia now or later. but talk to the people and they don't care, they got to decide their own destiny. >> for the majority of crimeans, march 16th will be known as independence day. the day they voted to separate from a ukraine they never wanted to be part of. the day they voted to join a russia that they call a mother land. >> i'm happy to be russia. it's my choice, my voice today. i'm lucky to be in russia. >> they celebrated one of the most lopsided votes europe has posted. for 12 straight hours, one after another after another tipped the same box. as this mother put it, it's never too early to vote for russia. this man

nick schifrin in simferepol. thank you for joining us. >> for more on the crisis in ukraine we are joined from washington d.c. by ambassador william taylor, serving ag ambassador for ukraine from 2006 to 2009 and coordinated assistance. he is vice president for the middle east and africa for the united states institute of peace. and on set nina khruscheva, professor of international affairs at the new school, member of the council on foreign into the gulag of the russian mind." ambassador taylor, president obama announced sanctions against 11 russian and ukrainian officials, all architects of the russia's ukraine policy, and the european union is to announce sanctions on tuesday, but they may overlap with the president's list. the responses have been like this, from russia's deputy prime minister saying: "comraid obama, what do you do with those that don't have acts abroad or you didn't thing about it?" are the sanctions duds before you even think about it? >> no, i don't think they are not. the sanctions are des

they man the road block between sevastapol, and simferepol, "wherever we are, so is russia", says the crime. "we are here to protect against fashists and terrorists", where are they, i asked him. "you don't know where you are. no one expected terrorists to attack the world trade center." the truth is there's almost no threat to these people from fascists, soldiers. crimea, it seems, is going down without a fight. >>> a short time ago the head of the navy made an announcement in line in them. >> i swear allegiance to the residents of the city of crimea, i will obey orders of the chief commander of the autoon omiccar of crimea. >> let's go live to jennifer glasse in simferepol. what has been the rehabilitation -- rehabilitation to the naval commander. >> a lot of people welcome them. a lot don't believe what happened in kiev has happened to them. they have their own parliament and prime minister. all of that changed. the new prime minister is pro-russian, as is his council of ministers. there's a prime minister tatar min yority and ethnic ukrainian minority, making up about 40% of the p

nick schifrin joins us from the crimean capital simferepol. what have you seen today? >> the results are coming in literally as we speak. the election commissioners are speaking to the press. they announced over 80% of crimea voted. we believe according to initial reports about the exit polls, over 90% of the peninsula voted to join russia. i must say we were out in four or five different polling sayings and we didn't see an until peace of evidence that exit pollsters were there working. we should take the numbers with a grain of salt. bottom line is they have decided to join russia. >> how concerned are people across ukraine that these polls are not legitimate and do not reflect what the people want? >> i think people do believe they reflect what the crimeans want. so many believe they are righting an historical wrong, and so many call it independence day. in the "50, they came part of ukraine. ukraine became independent. a lot of people never wanted to be part of ukraine. they feel this is the first time they've been able to say no, separate us from ukraine. the west

the reservoir outside simferepol, one of the few local sources - and it's looking low. >> crimea doesn't only get most of its water from ukraine, but so too electricity. despite the take over, crimea is vulnerable to pressure from the government in kiev. >> this economist doesn't think ukraine will cut vital supplies because of its own ties to russia. . >> translation: remember that ukraine owes russia lots of money for its gas and depends on the gas. we must not poll ittizize issues affecting every family here and in russia. i do see water shortages for farmers. >> tourism is a primary source, but the beaches don't look good. russians with money prefer to fly to the mediterranean. >> russia may find taking crimea was the easy part - making it viable the real challenge. >> there have been street battles between police and protesters in spain's capital. violence broke out when demonstrators broke through a barrier to get through the hours of the popular party. >> as police moved in to clear the square, protesters reacted. a tense end to what had been an anti-austerity protest, the biggest

on tuesday a soldier was killed in an attack on an army base at simferepol. russian soldier were blamed, accusing them of a war crime arseniy yatsenyuk said the conflict had moved to a military phase. >> the shooting happened hours after russia's president signed an agreement to make crimea part of the russian operation. the u.s. and e.u. accused the russians of a land grab. in a phone call to the secretary of state john kerry, russia's foreign minister warned against sanctions, saying there'd by be consequences. jennifer glasse joins us from sevastopol, at an army base. >> this happened a little over two hours ago. the base was surrounded and overrun. the ukrainian naval officers have been barricaded for two weeks. they are leaving one by one. the crowd is applauding, not in a supporting way, but a jeering way, some saying go home, go the train station. one officer, they searched his bag. there are negotiations going on in the last hour or so. one of the buildings was stormed by a civilian. there's a mixture, some armed, russian troops and men in uniforms. t

we have more from simferepol. >> the new government is extending authority on the ground.sengers are arriving, welcomed by the self-defence units. anyone suspected of not being a resident gets checked and searched. >> the international airport is open for business. if you want to come or leave, there's only one route available at the moment. >> for the second day straight all other flights were cancel. the ukrainian national carrier announced all flights to and from kiev would not operate until after the referendum. no reasons were gisent. it could be because here to the ukrainians have lost control to its powerful neighbour. crimean officials say they are in charge. >> i think the presumption that crimea was taken over by russia is wrong. it is under control. defense forces. we are worried that the situation will become like kiev and donetsk. we meet and deal with security. >> it's shared by many who believe they are under threat and this neutral western government. i'm grateful for the guys standing here. otherwise i don't know what would have happened. we'll express our

hundreds of people gathered at the main railway station simferepol to watch the clock shift. crimea introduced the russian ruble as its currency. mouny is a pressing issue and its economy is in debt, in need of investment. russia is promising to come to the rescue with billions worth of investment. 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 entrepreneu

this reservoir outside simferepol, one of the few local source, and it's looking low. >> crimea does not only get most of its water from mainland ukraine, but the vast majority of electricity comes from there. that means despite the russian take over, crimea is vulnerable to pressure from the government in kiev. this economist doesn't think ukraine will cut vital supplies to crimea because of economic ties to russia. . >> translation: remember, ukraine owes russia money for its gas and depends on it. i do see a problem of participation shortages for farmers in crimea during the summer. >> tourism is crimea's traditional strength, but the beeches look sad these days. in the summer russians with money prefer to fly to the mediterranean or beyond. as for ukrainians, don't expect many to come this year. russia may find taking crimea was the easy part. making it viable is the real challenge. >> there have been street battles between police and protesters in spain's capital. the violence began when demonstrators tried to break through a barrier to get to the headquarters of the popular par

. >> that's barnaby phillips joining us from the crimean capital simferepol. thank you. >> there are reports that the chechen rebel leader who claimed responsibility for a string of deadly attacks in russia has been killed. doku umarov is suspected the of organising an attack four years ago. news of his death was posted. the russian government is yet to comment. he's suspected of two deadly attacks in volgograd, weeks before the woicts in sochi. several reports have been killed in the past and proved to be incorrect. >> thailand's military said it picked up a signal on its radar that may have belonged to the missing malaysia airlines flight minutes after the communication went down. officials say they did not report the findings because they weren't specifically asked for them. the flight 370 wentizing with 239 -- went missing with 239 passengers on board when it left kuala lumpur for beijing. >> the israeli army targeted some position after several members were hurt in an attack. syrian training facilities and a military headquarters were among their targets.

nick schifrin has talked about the future of crimea with residents in the capital of simferepol. >> vladimir putin's declaration that crimea was part of russia was after they declared independence and part of that was the fact they'd move to the russian ruble, change your to moscow time, and going to nationalize all ukrainian assets, and all ukrainian laws are null and void. that is a lot of changes for everyone here to take in, and everyone is trying to figure out what is next. [ chants ] >> crimea has made its choice. the day after the party, regardless of whether they feel the vote was legal or fair, the next generation needs to face the future. we spoke with five 20 and 30s, two pro-ukrainian. >> i'm for ukraine, i want to stay ukrainian. >> and three who voted to join russia. >> some people said vladimir putin is dictator. no, it's not true. he's very smart. >> christina is a dancer believing russia provide more economic opportunity. >> 23 years we didn't see any good future for people. that is why most people want to leave, want to be with russia, because it's really true, last 10 year

you are looking live inside a polling station in the city of simferepol, where the polling booths haveust opened. welcome to al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm morgan radford. the next chapter of ukraine's political crisis is unfolding as we speak. polless are open in crimea, where voters will determine whether to join russia or remain part of the ukraine. >> western nations say they should stay as part of ukraine. the vote has been called illegal. russia exercised veto power of an un-security council resolution. china abstained. >> inside ukraine more clashes between supporters and opponents of that referendum. russia says it's been askeded to step in and protect demonstrators. voting is getting underway with 1.5 million of people in crimea eligible to cast a ballot. nick schifrin is at one of those polls stations. >> what are you seeing at the polls station right now. >> for weeks we had fear and loathing across crimea. huge amounts of intimidation, violence, tension. today seems calm. there are a lot of people here already at this particular tags that i am at. i was ta

jacky rowland is live in the crimean capital simferepol. how does it look like it's heading now? >> well, certainly there's a lot of enthusiasm for the referendum, certainly if this particular voting station is anything to go by. there were people lining up outside the door, and there has been a steady stream of people waiting. inside the voting stations there are transparent perspex boxes in which people drop their vote. i did my own unscientific study to have a look. i could only see papers where people said yes, they want union with russia. >> now, at the same time all expectations are, perhaps what you have been observing, but the result will be a yes vote for reunification with russia. what will it mean for the rest of the country, particularly eastern ukraine, where there are signals of people being unhappy about their status in ukraine there? >> well, in the past week i spent a bit of time in eastern ukraine, particularly in donetsk. and there's a very strong pro-russian sentiment. we attended a number of rallies at which thousands of people came out to demand that they, t

it steps up troop presence in the region, and the death of a ukrainian soldier in simferepol sparks outrage. >> the u.s. will not recognise the treaty, and says there'll be more sanctions if aggression continues. the vice president visits n.a.t.o..al lies, signalling th

. >> in the crimean capital simferepol, a pro-russian demonstration attracted thousands. a week before deciding whether crimea should join russia or city ukraine. some have already been to moscow. >> if you know what it is like and feels in moscow, and how happy the russian government was. i thought it was not us joining russia, but russia joining crimea. last week russia captured a base in balaclava bay. on sunday morning russian forces took another base like it in western ukraine. life in this resort town is largely uninterrupted. this man lives here and says he will stay, no matter how the vote goes next week. >> translation: i like it here. i love the sea, the nature, i want to live here. if the majority want to be with russia, we'll be with russia. the blockade makes chores like taking out the trash arduous. no one knows what will happen to the black sea fleet and its sailors. >> the polls have closed in columbia's election. sunday's vote is viewed as an election on peace talks. the president contained control and will run for re-election. he's an advocate for a peac

. >> these three guys say their future is with the simferepol football team. >> and just a reminder that you can keep up to date with all the news on the website - aljazeera.com. should i be worried? >> reporter: and i asked whose first tweet was this? please pray for me. i'll answer the question a little bit later. this is ali velshi, this is "real money." >> this is real money. you are the most important part of the show. join our live conversation at twitter, facebook.com/aj real money. one-third of all american households 38 million in total live paycheck to paycheck every month. get this, the majority of them earn around $50,000 a year. what most people might consider middle class in this country although some would say that's far too low to be considered middle class. these are findings of a new study. the family set aside little or nothing for a rainy day making them vulnerable when and if hard times hit like a medical emergency or lost income. of the 38 million americans who live paycheck to paycheck. 13 million with an income of $20,000 a year. these poor hand-to-mouth household

nick schifrin is in simferepol, the capital, tonight. >> good evening. a few hours away from a vote that will decide the future, and across the peninsula, this is what you see, had is the campaign poster suggesting russian life will be better than anything. that is the message everyone is receiving. the momentum is against ukraine. >> when crimea votes it will use ballots delivered to a building whose ukrainian identity was painted over. when crimea votes, it will be surrounded by posters campaigning for russia. the local commission may stand in front of ukrainian yellow, but bleeds russian blue, white and red. >> people are so inspired. they are returning to the mother land. for 23 years they were under occupation. now they are returning to their true home. >> this man has been running elections for two decades and shows me the tools in a legitimate elections toolbox. the voting booths with curtains. the locked ballot box. the safe holding the ballots sealed until sunday by the sits of election commissioners. these are all the names and this is the seal

it steps up troop presence in the region, and the death of a ukrainian soldier in simferepol sparks outrage. >> the u.s. will not recognise the treaty, and says there'll be more sanctions if aggression continues. the vice president visits n.a.t.o..al lies, signalling that the u.s. will defend them. >> families of the people on flight 370 threaten a hunger strike the the search area widens after it was confirmed the plane took a left turn, heading from kuala lumpur to beijing before it went missing 11 days ago. >> the syrian embassy in washington shut down. the newly appointed special envoy says syrian diplomats have not maintained a consistent presence at the embassy for about a year. >> 24 men receive a medal of honour when the country's highest military distinction could discriminate those worthy of the award. only three are alive to receive recognition. >> those are the headlines. i'm thomas drayton. "america tonight" is up next. >> an investigation into shocking cases of abuse, neglect and the state's failure to protect. >> everything we know and think we know about air 370, there is ev

these men took an oath to the pro-russia crimea regional government in simferepol. >> this has been movingt and will move quickly in the the vote occurs. >> the justice department wants to reduce prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. the attorney-general eric holter said shorter sentences would be fair and apply to some crimes. >> there are people, we must understand, who have to be prosecuted and who deserve to go to gaol for extended periods of times. there are ways in which we can maintain public safety and reduce the prison population, reduce the number of people we are sentencing. >> the commission will vote and if approved sentences will be shortened by about a year. >> a voice millions of fans know well has been silenced. >> this summer check your weapons, take your seat. and say your prayers. >> that is the voice of hall douglas, dying at the age of 89. he is best known for his work in movie trailers, quor "connaire", "speed", and "lethal weapon", he leant his voice to television, documentaries and broadcast networks. coming up, the picture of the day and a new frontier f

first to nick schifrin, and simferepol. is anyone in crimea concerned about what the rest of the world is saying? >> i think people here see and hear what the west is saying, and instead of looking at the west, they look towards moscow and say, "we're coming home", a lot of people believe this is an independence day. for decades a lot of people did not want to be part of ukraine. they have absolutely wanted to be part of russia, they are russian speakers and feel they are closer culturally, physically and spirit outlinely to russia and moscow. they have wanted to be part of that process and part of that country rather than look west. now, there is a minority population, and they have been silent. some 10 or 20%. tatar muslims boycotted today because they were intimidated by weeks of harassment to simply not show up and say not only is the vot not going to count, but it's too dangerous to come out. the majority of people are letting off fireworks, they are partying in lenin square, in the middle of town. they are very much h

which start in simferepol, with nick schifrin. what is the mood there today?> we are seeing the russian stranglehold getting tighter militarily across the penninesual la. you can't go to a ukrainian military base without it being occupied or surrounded by russian troops. you can't go to a government building across the peninsula without it, also, being surrounded or occupied by government troops - sorry, russian troops. on the political side a lot of people believe the vote is preor daned. there's a lot of intimidation who is pro-ukrainian, leading to a lot of boycotts of the referendum by anyone who opposes joining russia. there are pro-russians out in force, getting the out to vote efforts. they are the only ones pushing for a referendum. it seems the vote will overwhelmingly go russia. >> you talk about intimidation. what have you seen in the cities and the hotels that the journalists use? >> in a word, the hotel, moscow, which is fall of journalists was occupied by pro-russian militia and activists, it's hard to describe who these people are. they don't an

. >> 3,000 unarmed men deployed in simferepol. they can't fight off a pro-russian militia, but they can fight off provocation. people are receiving threats. many crimean tatars woke up to find crosses on the gates. for them it revives some of the darkest memories when 17 years ago similar signs meant you are about to be deported to russia for asia. several houses have similar markings. the threat is so serious, this man doesn't want to be identified. he's afraid history may be repeating itself. >> please, stop this war before it starts. it's really hard. we grew up here hearing stories from our grandparents. >> pro-russian propaganda leaves little space for other ethnic groups to voice their opposition. >> there are people who want is a confrontation, that's why we call on the u.n. to send peacekeepers. >> the regional government is going ahead with the render um, in which the choice is to join russia now, or later. many feel their identities are being stolen away. >> we go washington where randall pinkston has been following the

. >> 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

. >> a ukrainian army base near simferepol, and the soldiers inside wonder how long the russians are prepared to wait outside before forcing their way in. the ukrainian soldiers told us they feel abandoned by their government. they would not talk on camera. i spoke to a retired officer who has been trying to mediate. >> the soldiers have been let down. no one from the high command or defence ministry came here to support or encourage them. the authorities in crimea say they will not allow a delegation in kiev to talk to the soldiers. >> the pro-russian prime minister says the delegation is not welcome and it will not be allowed entry into crimea. >> it's not only ukrainian soldiers who are worried. in simferepol, we found a bank manager trying to reassure crowds who want to withdraw their savings. "don't worry, everything is under control." but he admits that the bank is struggling to adapt to what he calls the new legal reality. at parliament they were putting up new letters, in russian, stating that crimea belongs to russia, not ukraine. with every passing day moscow consolidates i

. >> from kiev to the port city of simferepol, voting begins in less than 24 hours. in sevastopol many are lining up for flags, and that's where we find jennifer glasse. the pro-russian sentiment has been vocal and strong, sometimes violent. is that making pro-ukrainian supporters afraid to speak out? >> very much. we have seen very, very little pro-ukrainian voices. i spoke to a man born here, who lived here, whose grandparents are from here, but is pro-kiev. he feels he can't fly the ukrainian flag. he is not going to vote. he says the referendum is a pr exercise, that moscow is showing the west that there is democracy, but the outcome is predetermined. if you look around the city, the russian flags are flying everywhere. they were giving out a flag in the park. and the line was hundreds of people long. the pro-russian sentiment is what you see in public. anyone who dissent, tries to keep it quiet. >> have you noticed a sign of outside regulators? >> no, we haven't seen anything here of any kind of outside monitoring or anything like that. we tried to get into a po

the black sea peninsula, crimea, where you are looking at live pictures of the polling sayings in simferepolople are voting on whether crimea should join russia or become more independent. the u.s. and the e.u. called the vote illegal. but crimea is them many people with close cultural ties to russia. let's bring in peter sharp, who is in moscow. >> there were rallies in moscow with many russians supporting a ukrainian crimea. what exactly were their concerns? >> there's about 50,000 people, a huge amount for an antiwar movement in moscow on saturday. basically they are concerned that there could be wars as a result of this. they don't trust putin or the direction in which putin is taking the country. they don't know which direction they are going in. there's a fear among the people that there'll be isolated internationally if this all goes ahead. look, let's not make bones about it. vladimir putin has the majority of support of most of the people in russia. figures running between 60 and 70%, and an independent poll supports the kremlin line, blaming the west. so putin is not just popular,