THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE IS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY. NATO’S VERBAL RESPONSE TO RUSSIA’S UNANNOUNCED 150K MEMBER MILITARY DRILL SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. AND NOW, THE GLOBE AND MAIL IS NOW REPORTING THERE ARE RUSSIAN BOOTS ON THE GROUND:
Ukraine’s sovereignty over the southern region of Crimea appeared to be under threat Wednesday, as Russian-backed fighters moved dozens of kilometres outside their base in this Black Sea port, establishing a checkpoint on the main road connecting Sevastopol to the regional capital.
The Globe and Mail saw least a dozen men wearing fatigues – supported by an armoured personnel carrier – standing under a Russian flag at a checkpoint erected roughly halfway along the 80-kilometre road from Sevastopol to Simferopol, putting it close to the administrative border that separates the Sevastopol municipality from the rest of Crimea and Ukraine.