Conflict entering 'military stage': Ukraine PM

LATEST UPDATE: Ukraine's Western-backed prime minister said on Tuesday that his country's conflict with Russia was entering a "military stage" following claims by Kiev that one of its officers was shot and wounded in Crimea.

"The conflict is shifting from a political to a military stage," Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told an emergency government meeting. "Russian soldiers have started shooting at Ukrainian military servicemen, and that is a war crime."

Ukraine's navy chief Sergiy Gayduk said earlier that an officer had been shot and injured in the leg "during an attack against a base in (Crimea's main city of) Simferopol."

He did not specify where or when the incident happened or who was behind the attack.

But an AFP reporter outside a Ukrainian military unit in a suburb northeast of Simferopol heard a burst of gunfire coming from the building and saw two ambulances driving into the area

The region around the military unit was sealed off by what appeared to be pro-Moscow militants.

"Armed attempts to take over (Ukrainian) military units have multiplied in recent days," Gayduk said at the government meeting.

EARLIER REPORT:

Its borders are patrolled by Russian troops and it adopted the ruble on its first day of "independence" -- welcome to the "Republic of Crimea".

Now claimed by Moscow as part of its territory, Crimea is still officially deemed part of Ukraine by the rest of the international community and its separatist leaders have already been hit with a series of EU and US sanctions.

Following a disputed referendum in which nearly 97 percent cast their ballots for splitting from Ukraine, the Kremlin said Tuesday it now considers Crimea to be part of Russia, provoking furious reactions from the West.

Here are some key points about Crimea -- a strategic Black Sea peninsula about the size of Belgium with a population of around two million people.

FLAG: Crimea already has its own flag -- a horizontal blue-white-and-red tricolour that is fast replacing the Ukrainian colours around the peninsula. Adopted by the Crimean autonomous republic of Ukraine in 1992, it bears a close resemblance to the Russian flag.

RUSSIAN BASE: Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been based in the naval port city of Sevastopol 230 years. It is estimated to have around 11,000 troops and gives Moscow access to the Mediterranean.

CURRENCY: As of Monday, Republic of Crimea has two official currencies -- the Ukrainian hryvnia and the Russian ruble. Paying in rubles in shops in the main city Simferopol is impossible for the moment, though at least one bank has made the switch and is providing bank statements in both currencies.

TOURISM: Crimea's tourism business is a big part of the local economy and the picturesque city of Yalta -- famous also for a 1945 agreement that divided Europe post-World War II -- takes in around 10,000 cruise passengers a year alone.
After Sunday's referendum, separatist prime minister Sergiy Aksyonov's first thought was about the future of the tourism sector -- a major part of the local economy.
"I invite you all to come to Crimea this summer!" he tweeted Monday. "Let's focus our efforts on preparing for the high season!"

SELF-SUFFICIENCY?: Crimea is hardly self-sufficient. It depended on Ukraine for 85 percent of its water supplies and 82 percent of its electricity, according to Mikhaylo Gonchar, an energy expert at Kiev's Nomos Centre.
The company Chornmornaftogaz extracts 1.6 billion cubic metres of natural gas from the Black Sea every year, which just about covers Crimea's heating and cooking needs.

CRIMEAN PRIDE: Despite the referendum and Russia's move Tuesday, some Crimeans would like their peninsula to be neither with Russia nor Ukraine.

The territory has a varied history, with Huns, Venetians, Byzantine Greeks and Ottoman Turks controlling its seaside cliffs and rich farmland over the centuries.

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