WW3 Update: Russian Troops Pouring Into Ukraine (Video)

The Latest:

Kirov military airdrome in #Crimea captured on the night of 1 March @EspresoTV 

The Ukrainian Parliament released a statement saying they expect conflict tonight between Ukrainian military and Russian troops. It reads as follows: (translated)

“If the penetration of the unknown into the territory of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will act in accordance with the laws of Ukraine and the Charter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine learned that from 2 nd to 5 o’clock in the morning the night from February 28 to March 1, 2014 radical forces plan to carry out illegal activities, namely, to enter the military units stationed in the Crimea and disarm personnel.”

2327 GMT: The airport in Simferopol has stopped taking flights, Lenta.ru reported at 22:56 Moscow time tonight.

The air space over Simferopol is closed, says ITAR-TASS. RIA Novosti reported that it is closed at least until 18:30 on 1 March. A dispatcher told the news agency that the ban on flights may be extended.

Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that air space is closed over all of Crimea.

2134 GMT: Independent media going off the air?

Ayder Muzhdabayev, deputy editor of Moskovsky Komsomolets, reported on Facebook 2 hours ago:

Urgent from Crimea

Armed divisions have seized the state television station (GTRK) of Crimea. All the staff have gathered together at the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR, hundreds of others have come. They are waiting for the seizure. Several APCs have arrived. For now, they’ve passed by. They are also expected seizure of the building of the Crimean Tatar’s Medjlis [Assembly]. People are already going there. Everyone is afraid of what will happen tonight. There it is.

Friends, colleagues, take care of yourself! Don’t resist the military. God save Crimea!

2134 GMT: Russian blogger Lev Shlosberg who writes for the newspaper Pskovskaya Guberniya has written this report today at 4:42 pm (translated by The Interpreter) that says that Russian “Officers and Contractors of the 76th Chernihov (Pskov) Storm Troops Division” are now in Ukraine:

According to one of the participants in the operation, officers and contractors of the 76th Shock Troops Division have been re-locating to Ukrainian territory since last week. By early this week, there were already more than 100 soldiers. The last of the famous detachments was sent on Thursday, 27 February. They are fully armed, with 5,000 rounds of ammunition per person. There is one truck per 10 soldiers, and they are completely loaded with weapons including flame-throwers. Upon arrival on the territory of Ukraine, they did not report their geographical locations to people, and they were assigned local tasks. Most likely, this was Sevastopol and Simferopol. Emergency troops remain in Yysk, and did not take part in the operation. The barracks of the 76th Storm Troops Division on Margelova Street in Pskov is practically empty.

Russia/Ukraine Military Comparison